WEBVTT - Why Goldfish Make Their Own Alcohol

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain stuff from how stuff works. Hey, brain stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>it's Christian Seger. Goldfish don't need teeny tiny moonshine stills.

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<v Speaker 1>These little guys they can actually handle homebrewing all by themselves,

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<v Speaker 1>as evidenced by the findings of a recent study published

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<v Speaker 1>in the journal Scientific Reports. Although they don't distill whiskey,

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<v Speaker 1>Goldfish have long been known for their ability to make

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<v Speaker 1>their own alcohol. Until now, though, scientists have puzzled over

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<v Speaker 1>how they manage this phenomenon. So why would a fish

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<v Speaker 1>need to make alcohol? The ability is seen in both

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<v Speaker 1>goldfish and it's wild relative, the Crucian carp Both are

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<v Speaker 1>from the genus Kara sous, which often live in conditions

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<v Speaker 1>that would be completely unthinkable for other species. Typically, a

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<v Speaker 1>vertebrate can only survive minutes without oxygen, but these species

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<v Speaker 1>have evolved to the point where they can last four

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<v Speaker 1>or five months in oxygen deprived environments like the bottoms

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<v Speaker 1>of rivers, frozen lakes, and even your poorly cleaned aquarium

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<v Speaker 1>at home. When a creature is left without oxygen, it

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<v Speaker 1>typically experiences a build up of lactic acid, which can

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<v Speaker 1>turn toxic. However, these particular fish have two sets of

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<v Speaker 1>proteins in their muscles rather than the usual one. The

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<v Speaker 1>second set of proteins get activated when there isn't any

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<v Speaker 1>oxygen and changes lactic acid into ethanol. This biochemical adaptation

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<v Speaker 1>allows the fish to diffuse the substance into the water,

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<v Speaker 1>helping them prevent the life threatening condition lactic acidosis. Now

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<v Speaker 1>on fizz dot org, University of Liverpool evolutionary biologists Michael

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<v Speaker 1>Baron Brinck explains how these fish pull it off during

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<v Speaker 1>their time in oxygen free water in ice covered ponds,

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<v Speaker 1>which can last for several months in their Northern European habitat.

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<v Speaker 1>Blood alcohol concentrations in Crucian carp can reach more than

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<v Speaker 1>fifty milligrams per one hundred millilders, which is above the

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<v Speaker 1>drink and drive limit in these countries. However, this is

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<v Speaker 1>still a much better situation than filling up with lactic acid,

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

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

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<v Speaker 1>species 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 unin habitable for other fish, thereby evading

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

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<v Speaker 1>mad 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 A. Leah Hoyt and produced

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<v Speaker 1>by Dylan fig. For more on this and other topics,

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<v Speaker 1>please visit us at house to works dot com