that is suspect when it comes to being an alcoholic. Studies to find this gene(s) and study human alcoholism have been strained in the past, due to human testing being somewhat “frowned upon”. But this research may have found an easier way in which it can continue. Vervet monkeys, a species that resides on St. Kitts Island, seem to mirror the drinking habits of humans. The monkeys have been seen stealing alcohol from the local bars and many sleeping tourists. Researchers collected 1000 of the monkeys from the island and kept them in a social group to observe their drinking habits. What they found was that the monkeys displayed different levels of alcohol consumption that was similar to humans, which ranged from “social drinker” to “binge drinker”. The way in which the monkeys’ behavior mimics that of humans suggests that they too may have a geneitic component that causes them to fall into alcoholism. Due to the fact that the vervet monkeys DNA shares 84.2% similarity to humans, scientists see them as fit to perform research on, with hopes that they will aid in the search for the genes associated with alcoholism in humans.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Drunken Monkeys
I’m sure many of you have heard that there is believed to be a genetic component
that is suspect when it comes to being an alcoholic. Studies to find this gene(s) and study human alcoholism have been strained in the past, due to human testing being somewhat “frowned upon”. But this research may have found an easier way in which it can continue. Vervet monkeys, a species that resides on St. Kitts Island, seem to mirror the drinking habits of humans. The monkeys have been seen stealing alcohol from the local bars and many sleeping tourists. Researchers collected 1000 of the monkeys from the island and kept them in a social group to observe their drinking habits. What they found was that the monkeys displayed different levels of alcohol consumption that was similar to humans, which ranged from “social drinker” to “binge drinker”. The way in which the monkeys’ behavior mimics that of humans suggests that they too may have a geneitic component that causes them to fall into alcoholism. Due to the fact that the vervet monkeys DNA shares 84.2% similarity to humans, scientists see them as fit to perform research on, with hopes that they will aid in the search for the genes associated with alcoholism in humans.
that is suspect when it comes to being an alcoholic. Studies to find this gene(s) and study human alcoholism have been strained in the past, due to human testing being somewhat “frowned upon”. But this research may have found an easier way in which it can continue. Vervet monkeys, a species that resides on St. Kitts Island, seem to mirror the drinking habits of humans. The monkeys have been seen stealing alcohol from the local bars and many sleeping tourists. Researchers collected 1000 of the monkeys from the island and kept them in a social group to observe their drinking habits. What they found was that the monkeys displayed different levels of alcohol consumption that was similar to humans, which ranged from “social drinker” to “binge drinker”. The way in which the monkeys’ behavior mimics that of humans suggests that they too may have a geneitic component that causes them to fall into alcoholism. Due to the fact that the vervet monkeys DNA shares 84.2% similarity to humans, scientists see them as fit to perform research on, with hopes that they will aid in the search for the genes associated with alcoholism in humans.
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It is surprising that no one thought of this before. Since alcoholism seems to be a genetic trait, it makes sense that other organisms have the genes that support alcoholism.
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