Boozy animal ‘can drink unlimited amounts of alcohol’ with ‘no negatives’ for health or lifespan – and won’t get drunk

A BOOZY creature is able to “drink unlimited amounts of alcohol” with seemingly no downsides.

The animal has been described as “remarkable” because it shows “no signs of intoxication or illness” – even after guzzling down “huge amounts” of alcohol.

And there appeared to be no difference to the lifespan of hornets that consumed sugar water versus those that only had alcohol for their entire three-month lives.

This clever superpower is extremely unique, the scientists explained.

“To the best of our knowledge, Oriental hornets are the only animal in nature adapted to consuming alcohol as a metabolic fuel,” said Professor Eran Levin, of Tel Aviv University.

“They show no signs of intoxication or illness, even after chronically consuming huge amounts of alcohol, and they eliminate it from their bodies very quickly.”

He added: “It was discovered that the hornet possesses several copies of the gene responsible for producing the enzyme that breaks down alcohol.

“This genetic adaptation may be related to their incredible ability to handle alcohol.

“We propose that the ancient relationship between hornets and yeast led to the development of this adaptation.”

Scientists say the research could help to develop new models for studying alcoholism in humans.

ALCOHOL – THE ILL EFFECTS

Here are some of the dangers of drinking alcohol, according to the National Health Service in the UK...

Serious risks include:

• cancers of the mouth, upper throat, larynx, oesophagus, breast, liver and bowel – Cancer Research UK can provide further information on alcohol and cancer
• stroke
• heart disease
• liver disease
• damage to the nervous system
• pancreatitis
• mental health problems

The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).