just procrastinating

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Winos
This article in Wine Spectator says that humans evolved to enjoy alcohol. Here is the reason, but I think it might be a bit of a stretch:
Ethanol is found widely in ripe wild fruit, Dudley explained. When wild yeast lands on the fruit and feeds on the sugars, fermentation occurs. The riper the fruit, the more alcohol it produces.

Many birds and mammals, including our primate ancestors, depend heavily on fruit, Dudley said, and they may have learned to find this food source quickly by following the scent of ethanol. Basically, the smell may act as a chow bell, signaling animals from afar that dinner's ready.
Although, this theory might need some more work:
There are still gaps in the hypothesis, said Levey, such as how one makes the leap from low-level consumption of ethanol in wild fruits to the drinking habits of modern society to full-fledged alcoholism.
Keep trying.


 
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