Posted on 11/25/2024 1:05:12 PM PST by nickcarraway
Researchers find that hornets have several copies of the gene responsible for producing the enzyme that breaks down alcohol.
A new discovery from researchers at Tel Aviv University has identified a surprising champion of alcohol tolerance – the Oriental hornet.
In their recently-published study, the researchers put the Oriental hornet in the spotlight, where it stands alone — and completely sober — as the only known animal capable of consuming high concentrations of alcohol continuously without experiencing any adverse effects.
This finding could revolutionize scientists’ approach to alcohol-related research.
“This is a remarkable animal that shows no signs of intoxication or illness even after ingesting huge amounts of alcohol,” notes the research team, spearheaded by Sofia Bouchebti and Prof. Eran Levin at TAU’s School of Zoology and Steinhardt Museum of Natural History.
Oriental hornets could potentially be used to develop new models for studying alcoholism and the metabolism of alcohol.
What makes this discovery particularly striking is how it contrasts with other species’ reactions to alcohol.
While alcohol naturally occurs in nature through the fermentation of sugars by yeasts and bacteria in ripe fruits and nectar, most animals — including humans — can’t handle significant amounts without serious consequences, such as impeded balance and embarrassing phone calls.
Even fruit flies, which commonly dine upon fermenting fruits, show signs of intoxication after a nibble too many (proving that nature has a particularly cruel sense of humor and that the best things in life are out to kill us).
Incredible ability to handle alcohol
So what makes the hornets able to drink the rest of the animal kingdom under the table?
To find this out, the research team conducted a series of increasingly ambitious experiments to test the hornets’ extraordinary capabilities.
In perhaps the most striking demonstration, hornets were given a diet consisting of 80 percent alcohol — a concentration that would be lethal to most organisms (though this is still being rigorously tested by college students).
Remarkably, these insects not only survived but showed no behavioral changes or health impacts throughout their normal three-month lifespan.
Levin explains the key to the puzzle, discovered via analysis of the hornet’s genome: “The hornet possesses several copies of the gene responsible for producing the enzyme that breaks down alcohol; this genetic adaptation may be related to their incredible ability to handle alcohol.”
The evolution of this unique ability might be rooted in the hornets’ longstanding relationship with yeasts. The insects naturally harbor yeasts in their digestive systems, creating a symbiotic relationship that may have driven their adaptation to alcohol tolerance.
With alcohol-related deaths accounting for 5.3% of global mortality, the implications of this research could make for more than an interesting “did you know” at the next social function you attend.
“We believe that, following our research, Oriental hornets could potentially be used to develop new models for studying alcoholism and the metabolism of alcohol,” Levin concludes.
Great. Booze-proof Hornets. That’s all we need.
Birds are funny when they’ve come upon a lot of fallen and fermenting fruit...
You gotta be a hornet (not “horney”) to beat alcoholism.
These are worse than the murder hornets IMHO.
I would rather deal with a booze-proof hornet than a drunk one looking for a fight.
My family is full of alcoholics, has been for generations. My daughter and I are the only ones who can have a glass or two of wine with dinner and not drink more.
I used to buy a bottle of Vanilla Vodka every summer for vodka tonics on hot days. then friend opened my fridge a few years ago and said there was a bottle of vodka in there. I forgot I had it. Gave him the. bottle and never bought another.
Anyway, alcoholism is terrible, kills some very beautiful smart people along with the drunken. bums in the alley downtown.
Really kinda sad ... Can’t even get a buzz...
I never liked alcohol.
Everything I tried was the same level of bitterness.
No flavor whatsoever.
Of all the things I admire in my father, it was the fact that he kicked alcohol that gave me the most pride.
As a drinker...that stings.
Russell’s sprinting skills were definitely tested that day.
Do you have any Irish gene background even if it goes back generations?
I like getting a good buzz off a few drinks, but...I don't have the energy to drink that much anymore, and...all the people I might have had one with are more inaccessible.
Sigh, I guess I have done enough damage to my liver for one lifetime!
The secret to driving sober is to swallow 5 of these hornets before going out drinking.
When I was about 7-8 years old, living in Virginia, we had a large farm near our house, and there was an old abandoned derelict of a stable...the kind with an attic that had a square opening that hay could be brought up and stored in.
My brother, a year older than me, set up the attic as a club or fort, and I could barely get up there since you had to climb up to the roof to get in, and I was barely big enough to make my way in. (I fell off the second time I went up there, and when I fell onto a pile of old bed springs and other junk metal there (as is often seen on farms of all kinds) I impaled my lower leg, just missing my shin, on a piece of rusty metal about an inch across. But that is another story.
Anyway, they had a medium sized hornet’s nest in their “fort”, and my brother gave me a can of Raid and said if I would spray the nest, I could be in the club.
So, I dutifully took the can, walked up to about two or three feet away, extended my arm, and pushed the spray button on that can of Raid.
Well, they came right at me.
I turned in panic, and dove right though that old square hole where they used to bring bales of hay in, and plummeted to the ground. I have no recollection of how I landed (it was in grass, not in the scrap metal pile on the other side of the stable) but those hornets followed me all the way through the air, and when I hit the ground they were on me. I ran, them trailing after me, doing the occasional seven-year-old shoulder roll, then when they were still there, jumped up immediately and began running again. I must have run at least the length of a football field before I realized they weren’t still on me.
Amazingly, I was only stung five times, but it seemed like there were dozens of those damn things chasing me!
I always liked this scene from "Tommy Boy"...
LINK: "Tommy Boy" Bee Scene!
Hahaha, of course, this one came up right afterwards, and it made me laugh too!
LINK: "Tommy Boy" Deer Scene!
How about wine?
Same, bitter.
Coffee has the same taste.
There isn’t enough sugar or cream to get past the bitter taste.
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