WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Do Goldfish Make Their Own Alcohol?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, I'm more in Vogelbaum, and today's episode is

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<v Speaker 1>another classic from our former host, Christian Sager. Goldfish can

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<v Speaker 1>be very sturdy creatures, and part of the reason is

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<v Speaker 1>that they make their own alcohol. Here's how and why

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<v Speaker 1>they do it. Hey brain Stuff, it's Christian Sager. Goldfish

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<v Speaker 1>don't need teeny tiny moonshine stills. These little guys. They

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<v Speaker 1>can actually handle homebrewing all by themselves, as evidenced by

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<v Speaker 1>the findings of a recent study published in the journal

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<v Speaker 1>Scientific Reports. Although they don't distill whiskey, goldfish have long

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<v Speaker 1>been known for their ability to make their own alcohol.

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<v Speaker 1>Until now, though scientists have puzzled over how they manage

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<v Speaker 1>this phenomenon. So why would a fish need to make alcohol?

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<v Speaker 1>The ability is seen in both goldfish and it's wild relative,

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<v Speaker 1>the Crucian carp Both are from the genus Kara sous,

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<v Speaker 1>which often live in conditions that would be completely unthinkable

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<v Speaker 1>for other species. Typically, a vertebrate can only survive minutes

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<v Speaker 1>without oxygen, but these species have evolved to the point

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<v Speaker 1>where they can last four or five months in oxygen

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<v Speaker 1>deprived environments. Like the bottoms of rivers, frozen lakes, and

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<v Speaker 1>even your poorly cleaned aquarium at home. When a creature

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<v Speaker 1>is left without oxygen, it typically experiences a build up

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<v Speaker 1>of lactic acid, which can turn toxic. However, these particular

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<v Speaker 1>fish have two sets of proteins in their muscles rather

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<v Speaker 1>than the usual one. The second set of proteins get

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<v Speaker 1>activated when there isn't any oxygen and changes lactic acid

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<v Speaker 1>into ethanol. This biochemical adaptation allows the fish to diffuse

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<v Speaker 1>the substance into the water, helping them prevent the life

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<v Speaker 1>threatening condition lactic acidosis. Now on fiz dot org. University

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<v Speaker 1>of Liverpool evolutionary biologists Michael Baron Brink explains how these

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<v Speaker 1>fish pull it off during their time in oxygen free

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<v Speaker 1>water in ice covered ponds, which can last for several

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<v Speaker 1>months in their Northern European habitat. Blood alcohol concentrations in

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<v Speaker 1>Crucian carp can reach more than fifty milligrams per one

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<v Speaker 1>hundred milli leaders, which is above the drink and drive

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<v Speaker 1>limit in these countries. However, this is still a much

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<v Speaker 1>better situation than filling up with lactic acid, which is

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<v Speaker 1>the metabolic end product for other vertebrates, including humans, when

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<v Speaker 1>devoid of oxygen. Now this ability has turned these species

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<v Speaker 1>of fish into quite the Darwinian geniuses in the study.

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<v Speaker 1>The research explains that the evolution of the ethanol producing

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<v Speaker 1>pathway has not only made the goldfish one of the

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<v Speaker 1>most arguably resilient pets under human care, but has also

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<v Speaker 1>clearly provided karasus with unique ecological benefits, allowing survival in

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<v Speaker 1>waters that are uninhabitable for other fish, thereby evading pisicene

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<v Speaker 1>predation and interspecific competition. And check this out. The mad

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<v Speaker 1>skills of the Crucian carp don't end with alcohol production.

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<v Speaker 1>Historical accounts claim that they can survive several hours out

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<v Speaker 1>of water or even several days with a frozen outer layer.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Alio Hoitt and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Dylan Fagan and Tyler Clang. For more in this and

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<v Speaker 1>lots of other topics, visit house to works dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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