Tools to tipple: ethanol ingestion by wild chimpanzees using leaf-sponges

Hockings, Kimberley J.; Bryson-Morrison, Nicola; Carvalho, Susana; Fujisawa, Michiko; Humle, Tatyana; McGrew, William C.; Nakamura, Misato; Ohashi, Gaku; Yamanashi, Yumi; Yamakoshi, Gen; Matsuzawa, Tetsuro

doi:10.1098/rsos.150150

Cited by 52 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Recent reconstructions, however, suggest that this gene evolved roughly ten million years ago, in line with what might be expected if it evolved when early apes began to spend more time on the ground and began to encounter and consume fermented fallen fruit that was more ethanol-rich than ripe fruit picked directly from trees (Carrigan et al, 2015). Some modern chimpanzee communities (like modern humans) enjoy a tipple, and even make tools with which to access alcohol (Hockings et al, 2015). The same may well have also been true of our common ancestors.…”

Section: The Extended Microbiomementioning

confidence: 61%

The Internal, External and Extended Microbiomes of Hominins

et al. 2020

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The social structure of primates has recently been shown to influence the composition of their microbiomes. What is less clear is how primate microbiomes might in turn influence their social behavior, either in general or with particular reference to hominins. Here we use a comparative approach to understand how microbiomes of hominins have, or might have, changed since the last common ancestor (LCA) of chimpanzees and humans, roughly six million years ago. We focus on microbiomes associated with social evolution, namely those hosted or influenced by stomachs, intestines, armpits, and food fermentation. In doing so, we highlight the potential influence of microbiomes in hominin evolution while also offering a series of hypotheses and questions with regard to evolution of human stomach acidity, the factors structuring gut microbiomes, the functional consequences of changes in armpit ecology, and whether Homo erectus was engaged in fermentation. We conclude by briefly considering the possibility that hominin social behavior was influenced by prosocial microbes whose fitness was favored by social interactions among individual hominins.

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Section: The Extended Microbiomementioning

confidence: 61%

The Internal, External and Extended Microbiomes of Hominins

et al. 2020

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“…9 (Special Issue) PP. 70 -75 alcohol was, just as it seems nowadays for the chimpanzees of Bossou (Hockings et al 2015), one of the keys to survive periods of food scarcity. However, since at the least extant chimpanzees neither seem to prefer nor really like alcohol, we argue that hominoids did not evolve a genetic preference for alcohol probably because alcohol consumption is adaptive only as long as it is not constantly overdosed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, from non-human primates including the African apes, who are studied already for decades in their natural habitats, there is only one report available which is describing a very small population of Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in a highly destroyed habitat while consuming fermenting palm wine (Ø 3.1%) that was produced and placed in the trees by humans (Hockings et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do chimpanzees like alcohol?

Thomsen

Zschoke

2016

Int. j. psychol. res.

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In the last common ancestor of modern humans and the three living African ape species a genetic mutation occurred that increased the rate that alcohol was metabolized. This fact initially supports the "drunken monkey hypothesis" which states that natural selection should have favoured individuals that routinely incorporated alcohol-and thus energy-rich fruits into their diet. However, random observations from apes living in the wild do not provide evidence for such kind of choosey feeding behaviours. To investigate whether or not the living great apes have evolved a preference of alcohol-rich fruits over normal ripe fruits we performed a bioassay with captive chimpanzees offering them apple puree with and without rum flavour. Initially, the chimpanzees were curious about the alcohol-flavoured apple puree and feed on it when it was presented to them for the very first time. Once tasted, however, they lost interest in it indicating that chimpanzees are able to perceive, but do not prefer alcohol-rich fruits more than non-alcoholic fruits. Thus, we think that for our hominoid ancestors from the late Miocene the possibility to consume alcohol-rich fruits was helpful to survive periods of food scarcity, but did not lead to a genetic predisposition for alcohol. RESUMENPalabras clave: gran simio, evolución, alcohol, chimpancés, Pan troglodytes, bioensayo.En los últimos ancestros comunes de los humanos modernos y las tres especies vivientes de simios africanos, se produjo una mutación genética que aumenta la tasa en la que el alcohol es metabolizado. Este hecho apoya inicialmente la hipótesis del "mono ebrio", la cual establece que la selección natural podría haber favorecido a los individuos que habitualmente incorporaban en su dieta el alcohol y por lo tanto frutos con alto contenido calórico. Sin embargo, las observaciones realizadas al azar en simios que viven en estado silvestre, no proporcionan evidencia para la selección de este tipo de preferencias alimentarias. Para investigar si los grandes simios han evolucionado a una mayor preferencia de frutas asociadas con la producción de alcohol sobre las frutas maduras normales, Thomsen and Zschoke (2016) int.j.psychol.res. 9 (Special Issue) PP. 70 -75 71 llevamos a cabo un bioensayo con chimpancés en cautiverio ofreciéndoles puré de manzana con y sin sabor a ron. Inicialmente los chimpancés tuvieron curiosidad sobre el puré de manzana saborizado con alcohol y lo consumieron cuando se les ofreció por primera vez. Sin embargo, una vez probado perdieron el interés, indicando que los chimpancés son capaces de percibir el alcohol, pero no prefieren las frutas asociadas con la producción de alcohol sobre las frutas sin alcohol. Por lo tanto, creemos que, para nuestros antepasados homínidos del Mioceno tardío, la posibilidad de consumir frutas ricas en alcohol fue útil para sobrevivir a períodos de escasez de alimentos, pero no condujo a una predisposición genética para el alcohol. ARTICLE INFO R E S E A R C H INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH Do Chimpanz...

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“…In fact, human evolution is well known to be shaped by the consumption of alcohol 107-109 . This feature is shared not only with apes 110 but also with other animals such as wild treeshrews, 111 and even insects, which can also develop alcoholism under stress challenges 112-114 …”

Section: The Relevance Of Endogenous Controls Over Anesthesia For Behmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding of anesthesia – Why consciousness is essential for life and not based on genes

Baluška

Yokawa

Mancuso

et al. 2016

Communicative & Integrative Biology

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Anesthesia and consciousness represent 2 mysteries not only for biology but also for physics and philosophy. Although anesthesia was introduced to medicine more than 160 y ago, our understanding of how it works still remains a mystery. The most prevalent view is that the human brain and its neurons are necessary to impose the effects of anesthetics. However, the fact is that all life can be anesthesized. Numerous theories have been generated trying to explain the major impact of anesthetics on our human-specific consciousness; switching it off so rapidly, but no single theory resolves this enduring mystery. The speed of anesthetic actions precludes any direct involvement of genes. Lipid bilayers, cellular membranes, and critical proteins emerge as the most probable primary targets of anesthetics. Recent findings suggest, rather surprisingly, that physical forces underlie both the anesthetic actions on living organisms as well as on consciousness in general.

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Tools to tipple: ethanol ingestion by wild chimpanzees using leaf-sponges

Cited by 52 publications

References 25 publications

The Internal, External and Extended Microbiomes of Hominins

The Internal, External and Extended Microbiomes of Hominins

Do chimpanzees like alcohol?

Understanding of anesthesia – Why consciousness is essential for life and not based on genes

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