10 million years ago the hominids took alcohol.
A paleogenetic study had discovered when the enzyme that metabolizes de fruits
alcohol (ADH4) was activated. It was when the human, gorilla and chimpanzee common
ancestor left the trees. The fallen fruit, near almost rotten, was the food which
ate the first hominids who moved in the floor.
In a very mature fruit it can be the same
alcohol quantity as in a beer.
Nevertheless, the dominant theory affirms that
humans begin taking alcohol 9000 years ago when the agriculture and sedentarism
extended around the world. The accumulation of fruits and grains cause the
people to try new conservation forms, for example, fermentation. That was the
way to transform the food in alcoholic drinks.
The ADH4 enzyme is located in the beginning of
the digestive tract and metabolizes a great variety of alcohol molecules.
Despite that, the common ancestors enzyme couldn’t metabolize efficiently the
little alcohol molecules
In addition, the orangutan (Which is arboreal)
haven’t got this enzyme. So, the activation of this enzyme occurred after the
orangutan lineage was separated from the common ancestor.
In my opinion
it is a good explanation of our predisposition to take alcohol.
Moreover, I
don’t think that the agriculture was the only reason why humans started taking
alcohol. I think they had tasted it before, surely with corrupted fruits as the
article said. It is not strain because it is know that elephants and other
animals use to “get drunk” with very mature fruits and they enjoy it. So, why
not humans?
