Why Humans Drink Alcohol? It Could Be Wild Chimps. Here's Why | Watch - video Dailymotion

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New research from UC Berkeley reveals that wild chimpanzees in Africa consume daily amounts of alcohol equal to nearly two human drinks by eating ripe, fermenting fruits. This groundbreaking study supports the ‘drunken monkey’ hypothesis, showing that alcohol intake is an ancient primate behavior likely shared with our ancestors. Despite steady intake, chimps don’t appear drunk, suggesting evolutionary adaptations. Learn how scientists measured ethanol in wild fruits and what this means for understanding human attraction to alcohol.<br>&nbsp;

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00:00Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley have revealed something truly astonishing.

00:05Wild chimpanzees in Africa are consuming the equivalent of more than two standard human

00:10alcoholic drinks every day.

00:13And they are getting that alcohol naturally from the fruit they eat.

00:17You might wonder how is this possible?

00:19Well, chimpanzees feed on ripe and fermenting fruits that contain ethanol, a type of alcohol.

00:26The scientists measured the ethanol content in 21 different fruit species from two research

00:32sites in Uganda and Ivory Coast.

00:35On average, these fruits had about 0.26% alcohol by weight.

00:40Even though this may seem like a small number, chimpanzees eat between 5-10% of their body

00:46weight in fruit daily.

00:48That adds up to a significant amount of alcohol intake.

00:52Graduate student Alexey Maro explains that the chimp diet provides about 14 grams of

00:56pure ethanol each day.

00:59That equals one standard American drink.

01:02But chimps weigh roughly 40 kilos compared to a 70 kilo human.

01:07So when adjusted for body size, chimpanzees' alcohol consumption is nearly two drinks a day.

01:12Amazingly, despite this steady intake, chimps don't seem to get drunk.

01:17This discovery supports what scientists call the drunken monkey hypothesis.

01:21It suggests that our ancestors might have regularly consumed small amounts of alcohol from fermented

01:27fruits as well.

01:28So the desire for alcohol could be rooted deeply in our shared evolutionary history.

01:34Primatologists noted that chimpanzees don't show signs of intoxication because their steady,

01:38low-level ingestion of ethanol is manageable.

01:41Now, to get drunk, a chimp would have to eat a painful amount of fruit.

01:46This daily exposure likely helped shape our biology and attitude towards alcohol.

01:51The study was thorough.

01:53Researchers collected fruit samples from Uganda's Nagogo Forest and Thai National Park in Ivory

01:57Coast.

01:58They used several techniques to measure ethanol, including sensors like breath analyzers.

02:03The results were consistent across methods and sites.

02:07Some fruits like the fig species Ficus musuco and the plum-like fruit Perineri excelsa were

02:13particularly rich in alcohol.

02:16Male chimpanzees often gather in tree canopies to eat these fruits, even before heading out

02:21on patrols.

02:22Interestingly, alcohol consumption isn't limited to primates.

02:26Studies have identified alcohol metabolites in the diets of various animals, including birds.

02:32This points to a widespread evolutionary trait among fruit and nectar-feeding animals.

02:37Experts like Robert Dudley, who proposed the drunken monkey idea, believe that ethanol's

02:42smell helps animals find high-energy foods.

02:46Alcohol might also make eating more enjoyable and encourage social bonding in animal groups.

02:51Moving forward, researchers plan to track how frequently chimps choose fermented fruits

02:56and how this affects their behavior.

02:59Barrow even collected urine samples from sleeping chimps to measure alcohol metabolites, giving

03:04insight into their actual alcohol intake.

03:07This groundbreaking work broadens our understanding of alcohol's role in nature and evolution.

03:13It shows that the relationship between alcohol and animals, including humans, is far more

03:18ancient and natural than many realized.

03:23Don't forget to like, share and subscribe for more intriguing science stories.

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Why Humans Drink Alcohol? It Could Be Wild Chimps. Here's Why | Watch

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