Latest news with #Bowland
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Wild Chimps Caught on Camera Sharing Alcoholic Fruit
Remote cameras in Africa have captured the first images and video of wild chimpanzees eating and sharing fermented fruit that contains alcohol. Bonding over alcoholic drinks is an ancient human tradition, and this exciting discovery hints it might be even older – and less unique to us – than we thought. The intriguing similarity observed in our closest living relatives suggests our history of alcohol consumption could date back to before our species existed. "Sharing alcohol – including through traditions such as feasting – helps to form and strengthen social bonds," says first author and primatologist Anna Bowland, from the University of Exeter in the UK. "So, now we know that wild chimpanzees are eating and sharing ethanolic fruits, the question is: Could they be getting similar benefits?" Bowland and her colleagues from the UK, Canada, and the US studied western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) living in Guinea-Bissau's Cantanhez National Park. These chimps are not habituated to researchers, so the study authors set up motion-activated cameras at three locations to record their natural behavior. The footage revealed chimps not only feeding on fermented African breadfruit (Treculia africana), but also passively sharing it with one another. Testing later confirmed the specific fruits contained ethanol. Humans have a long history of drinking and sharing alcohol, with evidence of deliberately fermented beverages dating back at least to Neolithic times, where it may have offered benefits related to social bonding like it does today. Even before ancient humans figured out how to make alcohol themselves, they likely capitalized on what they found in naturally fermented fruits, just as these wild chimpanzees seem to be doing. "For humans, we know that drinking alcohol leads to a release of dopamine and endorphins, and resulting feelings of happiness and relaxation," says Bowland. It remains unclear whether chimps purposely seek out alcohol – and, if so, why. Chimps were filmed sharing fermented fruits on 10 separate occasions, with the sharing occurring among 17 individual chimps – including members of both sexes and every age category. This was mostly 'passive' sharing, in which a chimp who possessed fruit let others feed from it, but there was also one case of 'active-passive' sharing, in which a chimp let another chimp take some fruit from its mouth. Chimps with fruit showed no apprehension about sharing, and there were no observations of chimps sharing their fruit under pressure. Testing found that 90 percent of shared fruits contained ethanol at the time of consumption, with the content ranging from 0.01 to 0.6 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). That's pretty low by human standards – beer is typically at least 4 percent ABV, while wine commonly falls between 10 and 15 percent, and liquor may be 40 percent ABV or higher. But fruit constitutes the vast majority of a chimpanzee's diet, and since they seem to show a preference for riper fruits, wild chimps could end up consuming a significant amount of alcohol. "Chimps don't share food all the time, so this behaviour with fermented fruit might be important," says University of Exeter biological anthropologist Kimberley Hockings. They probably don't usually get drunk, a vulnerable condition few wild animals can afford, and the effect of alcohol on their metabolism is unknown. The team points to previous findings that about 10 million years ago, a molecular adaptation in a common ancestor of African great apes "endowed our ancestors with a markedly enhanced ability to metabolize ethanol." This coincided approximately with our ancestors' shift from arboreal to terrestrial lifestyles and may have been particularly valuable for life on forest floors – where older, riper, more fermented fruit is abundant. Alcohol consumption thus seems to be older than humanity, since the genus Homo likely evolved within the last 3 million years, and our species only dates back about 300,000 years. Booze may have ancient roots not just for us, but also for closely related apes like chimpanzees. "We need to find out more about whether they deliberately seek out ethanolic fruits and how they metabolise it, but this behaviour could be the early evolutionary stages of 'feasting,'" Hockings says. "If so, it suggests the human tradition of feasting may have its origins deep in our evolutionary history." The study was published in Current Biology. Earth's Rotation Is Slowing Down, And It Could Explain Why We Have Oxygen This Single-Celled Microbe Can Transform Into a Multicellular Creature Scientists Spotted Signs of a Hidden Structure Inside Earth's Core
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Watch: Wild chimpanzees share boozy fruit
Credit: University of Exeter/Bowland et al. Wild chimpanzees have been pictured eating and sharing fruit containing alcohol for the first time. Researchers set up cameras in the Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau, recording footage of the chimps sharing fermented African breadfruit. The scientists said the findings raised questions about whether chimps deliberately sought out alcohol. They pointed out that it may indicate an early form of 'feasting', indicating that socialising over food may have ancient origins. 'For humans, we know that drinking alcohol leads to a release of dopamine and endorphins, and resulting feelings of happiness and relaxation,' said Anna Bowland, of the University of Exeter. 'We also know that sharing alcohol – including through traditions such as feasting – helps to form and strengthen social bonds. So, now we know that wild chimpanzees are eating and sharing ethanolic fruits, the question is: could they be getting similar benefits?' The researchers used motion-activated cameras that filmed chimps sharing fermented fruit on 10 separate occasions. The fruit shared by the animals was tested for alcohol content, and the highest level found was the equivalent of 0.61 per cent strength. The researchers say it may be the tip of the iceberg because 60 to 85 per cent of chimps' diet is fruit – so low levels of alcohol in various foods could add up to significant consumption. They stressed that the chimps were unlikely to get drunk, because this would not improve their survival chances, adding that the impact of alcohol on chimps' metabolism was unknown. But a recent discovery of a molecular adaptation that greatly increased ethanol metabolism in the common ancestor of African apes suggests eating fermented fruits may have ancient origins in species including humans and chimps. 'Chimps don't share food all the time, so this behaviour with fermented fruit might be important,' said Dr Kimberley Hockings, also from the University of Exeter. 'We need to find out more about whether they deliberately seek out ethanolic fruits and how they metabolise it, but this behaviour could be the early evolutionary stages of 'feasting'. If so, it suggests the human tradition of feasting may have its origins deep in our evolutionary history.' The research, called Wild Chimpanzees Share Fermented Fruits, was published in the journal Current Biology. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
New image of missing Brian Fletcher released three days on from disappearance
Police have shared a new image of a missing Bury pensioner as they step up their search to find him. Brian Fletcher, 80, left his home on Saturday (March 22) before travelling to Tockholes, in Lancashire, but failed to return. He had been driving a grey Citroen C4 Cactus car, registration WP64HSC, which was found parked in a layby on the A675 near to Tockholes Road. READ MORE: The tears of a 'vulnerable' drug-dealing mum who kept a shotgun for cocaine and heroin gang READ MORE: Tragedy as 'heroic' grandad died while 'saving wife' in M60 horror crash Lancashire Police has shared a new image of Brian today (March 25), which captured the pensioner before his visit to Tockholes on Saturday. Officers say it shows Brian in the clothes they believe he was wearing at the time of his disappearance - a tan-coloured cap, blue jumper and cargo trousers. A force spokesperson added: "Our extensive search for Brian is continuing today. "A keen walker and birdwatcher, Tockholes is an area Brian visited regularly over the years - including Higher Roddlesworth Reservoir and Lower Hoddlesworth Reservoir. "We have officers searching the area today, with search dogs, our Mounted branch and the water search team involved. "Bolton Mountain Rescue, Bowland and Pennine Mountain Rescue and Rossendale Mountain Rescue teams, are assisting us with the search and we are very grateful to the teams for providing their help, expertise and knowledge." Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE Officers are continuing to ask for anyone with information about Brian's disappearance to come forward. They also want to hear from people with dashcam footage from the A675 Belmont Road - from Abbey Village to Tockholes - captured between 1.30pm and 2.30pm on Saturday. Anyone who sees Brian is urged to call 999 immediately. Other information can be passed on to police by calling 101, quoting log 1544 of March 22, 2025.
CBC
19-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Buy and sell Canadian? Some Calgary small business owners say that's easier said than done
Buy Canadian — that's the message being pushed across the country. But on the other end of the movement, some small business owners in Calgary who feel the pressure to pivot to Canadian products say that isn't as easy as it sounds. Nestled in the heart of Marda Loop, Michèle Bowland runs Little Bow Fibre Company, a small yarn shop. She's been thinking long and hard about the movement making waves across the country — even asking customers for feedback when they come in to shop — but she worries about whether her business would survive such a drastic change. "I am a proud Canadian. I want to stand up for my country. But in the same sense, I don't want to bury my business in trying to do everything I can where maybe that might not be the right choice," said Bowland. Bowland said Canada's wool industry is so small, it isn't feasible to sell only Canadian-produced yarn. She was once turned down by a couple of Canadian companies she tried to source products because it was already facing too much demand, she said. "It's definitely expensive. And if there's only a handful of companies, well, I don't want to carry what my neighbouring yarn store has." Bowland isn't alone. While some businesses are prioritizing Canadian products on their shelves in response to the potential trade war between Canada and the U.S., it isn't as simple for some industries whose options are limited in what they can source from inside the country. It's a system that was deliberately designed due to free trade agreements, according to one economist, who's encouraging people to shop Canadian only where it makes sense. 'Let's just all be kind' Down the street in Marda Loop, Crabapple Clothing Company owner Whitney Titheridge has been facing similar difficulties as Bowland. She purchases the store's inventory six to 10 months in advance, and she said she doesn't have the flexibility to pivot at the last minute in reaction to the larger dialogue. Plus, clothing produced in Canada is harder to find and is often more expensive. "We carry a lot of Canadian brands. Many of them just aren't produced in Canada either. So that is just the way that it works," said Titheridge. Along with Bowland, Titheridge said she'd like to see more grace from Calgarians as small businesses like hers navigate the rocky climate. "I think we just really need to be careful of judging people and businesses for making decisions that are in their best interest… Let's just all be kind to one another." Free trade The Bank of Montreal's chief economist Doug Porter said this is the reality of manufacturing in Canada. He said the point of free trade was to move away from each country producing everything, and instead specializing in areas they produce best. "It's unquestionable that there are many products that would be almost impossible to find in Canada right now [that are] made in Canada. That doesn't mean it can't be done eventually, but we can't just flick a light switch and start to produce things that haven't been produced here for 10 or 20 years," said Porter. Over time, he said Canada might start to gravitate toward emerging markets to source our goods. In the meantime, when it comes to the "buy Canadian" movement, "we shouldn't be dogmatic about it. We should do it where it's reasonable and where it makes sense. And I think it should really just be more of a mindset rather than, 'We have to do this minute.'" While it's been a rocky time for some businesses in Calgary, one store owner in Kensington sees it as an opportunity. Launched during the pandemic to give artists a place to sell their work, The Hidden Gem is home to the art of more than 90 local vendors. "A lot of people are seeking out local [products], which is a great thing. We've always been pushing that and rooting for that. Now, they sort of have something to fight for… So we're seeing more activity, for sure," said owner Victor Tripper.
