Alcohol

An intriguing new study has zeroed in on a brain region that is central to the development of both alcohol abuse and anxiety in adults, and demonstrated how gene editing could be used to wipe clean a person's predisposition to both disorders.

New analysis of urine samples from so-called "drunken monkeys" offers first-of-a-kind evidence that wild primates actually seek out fermented fruit and metabolize the ethanol within it, lured by its higher concentration of calories.

Drinking four units of alcohol a day – two beers, or two glasses of wine – causes structural damage and brain volume loss equivalent to 10 years of aging, reports a large UPenn study analyzing more than 36,000 high-quality MRI brain scans.

While non-alcoholic beer has some obvious advantages over its traditional counterpart, many people say that it just doesn't taste as good. Danish scientists now claim to have overcome that problem, using genetically engineered baker's yeast.

Researchers have uncovered the role of a liver hormone in alcohol addiction. Monkeys with a strong alcohol preference drank far less after they were given a synthetic version of the hormone, opening new potential treatments for alcohol addiction.

A large genetic study tracking 150,000 subjects for over a decade has affirmed a direct causal link between drinking alcohol and developing cancer. The findings particularly link oesophageal cancers and head and neck cancers with alcohol consumption.

A first-of-its-kind clinical trial has shown that ketamine infusions, combined with psychotherapy, is more effective in helping people suffering from severe alcoholism avoid relapse than any other current treatment.

Although we've seen several systems that use vehicle-integrated cameras to detect intoxicated drivers, a team of Japanese scientists claim that such technology isn't always reliable. Their alternative? A drunk-driver-detecting car seat.

Archaeologists have discovered one of the oldest examples of alcohol consumption. Ancient pots dating back 9,000 years have been found to contain traces of an early form of beer, which seems to have been used as part of a ritual honoring the dead.

A new molecule may help reduce side effects in a drug that could treat alcohol use disorder. Essentially, the molecule disarms the drug in most of the body, but can’t cross the blood-brain barrier, letting the drug get to work in the brain only.

New research is estimating around 740,000 newly diagnosed cases of cancer last year can be attributed to alcohol consumption. The research calls for greater public health strategies to raise awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer.

When someone is really intoxicated, they may not be very cooperative when told to blow into a breathalyzer. There could soon be a more passive but just as accurate alternative, though, in the form of an earmuff that measures blood alcohol levels.