Boozy animal ‘can drink unlimited amounts of alcohol’ with ‘no negatives’ for health or lifespan – and won’t get drunk
A BOOZY creature is able to "drink unlimited amounts of alcohol"; with seemingly no downsides.
The animal has been described as "remarkable" because it shows "no signs of intoxication or illness" – even after guzzling down "huge amounts" of alcohol.
Now scientists say that the Oriental hornet is the "only known animal" that is capable of such a feat.
Humans are relatively good at consuming alcohol – but still suffer significant effects on behaviour, cognition, and health.
That's because alcohol is toxic to most animals, even though it's commonly produced in nature through the breakdown of sugars by yeasts and bacteria.
But researchers at Tel Aviv University say the Oriental hornet is bizarrely exempt from this rule.
Read more on amazing science
Several animals do consume alcohol, like fruit flies and treeshews.
However, both suffer negative effects, including alcohol poisoning and fatty liver.
By comparison, the Oriental hornet may use a clever internal trick to dodge the ill-effects of a boozy drinking session.
"The hornets naturally store yeasts in their digestive system, which provides them with a unique environment that allows the yeast to develop and reproduce, creating new strains," said Dr Sofia Boucebti, the study's lead author.
Most read in Science
"One explanation is that hornets transfer yeasts to fruits, which indirectly contributes to the production of wine.
"In our study, we labeled the alcohol consumed by the hornets with a heavy carbon isotope.
"As the alcohol is metabolized, it breaks down into carbon dioxide, which is exhaled.
"By measuring the amount of labeled carbon dioxide emitted, we were able to estimate the speed at which the alcohol was broken down.
"The findings were very surprising; we were amazed to see the rapid rate at which the hornets metabolized the alcohol."
During the study, researchers found that even when 80% alcohol was the only source of nutrition, there was seemingly no effect on the hornet's behaviour.
ORIENTAL HORNETS – WHAT ARE THEY?
Here's what you need to know.
The Oriental hornet is a type of wasp found in Southwest Asia, Northeast Africa, Madagascar, the Middle East, Central Asia, and some parts of Southern Europe.
They've also spread as far as Mexico and Chile due to human activity.
They build underground nests and communicate with each other using sound vibrations.
Incredibly, a yellow stripe on the hornet's exoskeleton can absorb sunlight to generate electric potential, which may be used to supply energy for digging.
Adult Oriental hornets typically eat nectar and fruits, as well as scavenging for insects.
They also act as a pest to honey bees, attacking colonies for their honey and proteins.
Oriental hornets are a social wasp that will live in colonies with one queen and thousands of workers.
They're known to have a painful sting, which has the potential to trigger an allergic reaction.
And there appeared to be no difference to the lifespan of hornets that consumed sugar water versus those that only had alcohol for their entire three-month lives.
This clever superpower is extremely unique, the scientists explained.
"To the best of our knowledge, Oriental hornets are the only animal in nature adapted to consuming alcohol as a metabolic fuel," said Professor Eran Levin, of Tel Aviv University.
"They show no signs of intoxication or illness, even after chronically consuming huge amounts of alcohol, and they eliminate it from their bodies very quickly."
He added: "It was discovered that 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.
"We propose that the ancient relationship between hornets and yeast led to the development of this adaptation."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Scientists say the research could help to develop new models for studying alcoholism in humans.
ALCOHOL – THE ILL EFFECTS
Here are some of the dangers of drinking alcohol, according to the National Health Service in the UK...
Serious risks include:
- cancers of the mouth, upper throat, larynx, oesophagus, breast, liver and bowel – Cancer Research UK can provide further information on
- stroke
- heart disease
- liver disease
- damage to the nervous system
- pancreatitis
- mental health problems
The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).