Our relationship with alcohol is quite complex. While it can serve as a social lubricant or help some individuals relax, excessive intake can lead to addiction and cause various health problems. Alcohol occurs naturally as a byproduct of fermenting sugary fruits and nectars, which is why several animals — including insects, monkeys, bats, and even elephants — are known to intentionally seek out fermented fruits for their alcohol content. Researchers are fascinated by why some animals can't resist the pull of alcohol and how it might aid them in other ways.
Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) are especially attracted to the smell of fermenting fruit, often swarming our kitchens during warmer months. D. melanogaster is a commonly used model organism in many fields of research due to its small size, rapid reproduction, and the overlap with the human genome, making them easy to handle while providing meaningful results.
A research team from the Departments of Evolutionary Neuroethology and Insect Symbiosis, along with the Olfactory Coding Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, suggests that alcohol significantly impacts mating processes, broadening our understanding of alcohol use across the animal kingdom. The recent study was published in Science Advances.
