Alcohol Is The Savior Of Our Civilization If Primates Are The True Ancestors Of Man

Ilustrasi photo (John PLENIOR / Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Alcoholic food or drinks are often viewed negatively by several groups of people. However, many do not know that alcohol had a role in primate evolution, which has resulted in these creatures not extinct until now. If we are correct as a result of primate evolution, then alcohol actually saved us.

The ancestors of humans and other great apes, who lived about 10 million years ago, evolved to carry proteins that make the current metabolic process of alcohol in the human body more efficient.

These primates eventually carried this ability not only to humans but also to gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos. All these primates are able to break down ethanol, a chemical compound in alcohol.

In a new book entitled 'Alcohol And Humans: A Long And Social Affair' Professor Dr Kim Hockings and Dr Robin Dunbar argue that this ability helps them in their battle for survival against other monkey species.

These primates can eat the fruit that falls from the tree and is fermented, while other rival species are unable to consume the fermented fruit.

Dr Hockings, who is a senior lecturer in conservation science at the University of Exeter, UK, said that to this day it can be seen that great apes such as orangutans can eat fermented fruit and even drink fermented wine produced by humans.

"It is difficult to determine why they can consume alcohol and this reflects the complex history of our (human) relationship with alcohol. One thing that is interesting is that the alcohol content in fruit that falls from a tree is usually around 1% to 4%, much like the low-alcohol beer we are "But the alcohol consumed by humans today is much greater," said Dr. Hockings, quoted by Metro.

In addition, the author of the book also said that alcohol in human life is not only a medical problem but part of the human social order, both past and present. Dr Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of Oxford says that across different cultures and time periods, alcohol has consistently been a part of the way humans socialize with one another.

"Increasingly, alcohol has been seen as a cause of medical problems, but alcohol abuse is only a small part of the social pattern of wider human alcohol use," explains Dr Dunbar.

Whatever the reason, consuming alcohol must be wise. To feel its benefits, consume it in moderation to avoid problems caused by excessive consumption.