Primates desire to drink alcohol began 10 million years ago according to new evidence by scientists of Santa Fe college in the United States who studied the ADH4 gene’s ability to break down alcohol in the body. The studies confirm what some people have always suspected – humans were able to drink the moment they could walk. Scientists found that primates began scooping mushy, fermented fruit lying on the ground once they left the trees and their bodies learnt to process the ethanol present.

The ADH4 gene’s history was reconstructed using data from 28 different mnammals, including 17 primates from public databases or preserved tissue samples.

The findings explain why tree-dwelling orangutans are unable to metabolize alcohol while humans, chimps and gorillas can. “This transition implies the genomes of modern human, chimpanzees and gorilla began adapting at least 10 million years ago to dietary ethanol present in fermenting fruit,” says Professor Matthew Carrigan of Santa Fe College. “This conclusion contrasts with the relatively short amount of time – about 9,000 years – since fermentative technology enabled humans to consume beverages with higher ethanol content than fruit fermenting in the wild.