University of California, Berkeley researchers found that wild chimpanzees consume alcohol equivalent to one to two human drinks daily through naturally fermented fruit. Scientists tested nearly 500 ripe fruits across 20 species at sites in Uganda and Côte d’Ivoire, discovering average alcohol content of 0.3 percent by weight. Chimps eating 4.5 kilograms of fruit daily ingest about 14 grams of pure ethanol, equal to 1.5 standard human drinks. When adjusted for body weight, this equals 2.2 to 2.6 drinks per day for humans. Wild yeasts on fruit skins ferment sugars as fruit ripens, producing ethanol naturally. The study supports the “drunken monkey hypothesis,” suggesting human alcohol attraction stems from primate ancestors using fermentation smells to locate ripe, nutritious fruit. Published in Science Advances, the research shows no drunken behavior in chimps despite regular alcohol consumption. (Story URL)
PHONE TOPIC: What do you use to unwind after a long day at work?