Study: Chimps Like To Eat, Share Fermented Fruit

Researchers at the University of Exeter may have discovered the origin of the human feast! Chimpanzees may bond over fermented fruit, which can act somewhat like alcohol. Motion-activated cameras in Guinea-Bissau’s Cantanhez National Park captured wild chimps eating fruit containing .61% alcohol by volume. “For humans, we know that drinking alcohol leads to a release of dopamine and endorphins, and resulting feelings of happiness and relaxation,” student Anna Bowland said. Scientists theorize that this behavior could demonstrate the early evolutionary stages of “feasting.” “If so, it suggests the human tradition of feasting may have its origins deep in our evolutionary history,” Kimberley Hockings said. (newser)