The theory of drunk monkey

In 2014, biologist Robert Dudley of the University of California at Berkeley published a book in which he presented the theory of drunk monkey according to which the attraction ofHomo sapiens for alcohol appeared millions of years ago, when its common ancestors including the monkey discovered that the smell of alcohol led them to ripe, fermented and nutritious fruit.

The work of Professor Campbell and his team tends to confirm this hypothesis. The anthropologist and his student Victoria Weavers spent several months studying black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) from the island of Barro Colorado in Panama.

So the two women observed the monkeys looking for fruits, smelled them, and then they picked. They will then take the partially eaten fruit that the monkeys lowered to measure the ethanol content of the fruit pulp, which rises as it ages and begins to ferment. They found that the ethanol content of the pulp of partially consumed fruit was regularly between 1 and 2%.

The researchers also took urine samples from the monkeys to find traces of ethanol. They found five of the six samples were positive.

These data show, according to them, that these primates prefer fruits that contain ethanol.

This is the first time, without a doubt, that we have shown that wild primates, without human intervention, eat fruits that contain ethanol.said Pre Christina Campbell in a press release published by CSUN. More studies need to be done to confirm our findings, but there seems to be some truth to the ‘drunk monkey’ hypothesis..

High in calories

The researchers think that monkeys are more likely to eat fruits that contain ethanol for the calories it contains. They get more calories from fermented fruit than unfermented fruit. Higher Calories Means More Energyexplained by Prof. Campbell

This need for high calorie intake may also have influenced the food choices of human ancestors when choosing fruits to eat. Human ancestors may also choose fruits full of ethanol for consumption, as they contain more calories., says the anthropologist. In addition, the psychoactive and satisfying effect of ethanol can also lead to increased consumption of fruits with high alcohol and increased calorie intake.

Contemporary patterns of alcohol consumption may derive from these old associations between ethanol and nutritional reward.believe the authors of this work, its details were published in the journal Royal Society Open Science (New window) (in English).

These days, the presence of alcohol in liquid form, without the fermented fruit pulp filling the intestines, means it is easily depleted. The idea that people’s natural association with alcohol is inherited from our ancestors can help society cope with the harmful consequences of alcohol abuse.conclusion of Professor Campbell. Excessive alcohol consumption, such as diabetes and obesity, can be considered conceptually as a disease associated with excessive nutrition.