4 ms·

Very interesting theory. Do we know what types of fruits they would have been eating off the ground? Also wondering if alcohol metabolization can be traced in

• trhway 3y ago
  yes, it is DNA tracing, for example (and note - "increasing terrestrialization"): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8308604/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8308604/ "Paleogenetic reconstruction of alcohol dehydrogenase genes across the hominid phylogeny indicates a dramatically enhanced catabolic capacity in one particular ADH (ADH4, as encoded by the ADH7 allele), starting at about 10 Mya [26]. ADH4, although only one of multiple ADH forms present in mammals, is found primarily in the mouth and digestive tract and thus effects the “first pass” at the digestion of ethanol. This enzyme became dramatically better at metabolizing ethanol following the phyletic split between the lineage leading to modern orangutans and to the other great apes, including ourselves. It thus correlates well with increasing terrestrialization among the African apes, possibly yielding greater access to fermenting fruit crops on the ground, and thus resulting in increased ethanol within the diet [26]. "