Alcohol 101 | National Geographic

[Music] Alcohol has been a component of human culture for thousands of years. From its prehistoric inception to its many uses in modern times, alcohol has had countless effects on our cultures and our lives. Throughout the course of human history, alcoholic beverages have taken on many forms and flavors around the world.

The earliest known alcoholic beverage dates back to about 9,000 years ago in northern China. It was a kind of wine made from fruit, honey, and rice. About a thousand years later, in the Central Asian country of Georgia, the oldest wine made exclusively from grapes was produced. Around the same time, in the Middle East, the earliest beer was being made from barley.

No matter where or what types of alcoholic beverages are produced, they all share a similar chemistry. The type of alcohol found in beverages such as beer, wine, and spirits is called ethyl alcohol or ethanol. Ethanol is produced through fermentation, a process in which microorganisms, usually bacteria or a fungus called yeast, cause organic material to decompose. By decomposing, sugars in the organic material are converted into carbon dioxide and ethanol, the ingredient that makes alcoholic beverages intoxicating.

Alcohol's intoxicating effects are due to its role on the human central nervous system. Moderate amounts of alcohol trigger the release of neural chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins in the brain. This decreases anxiety, increases happiness, and depresses the brain's inhibitory activities. Apart from alcohol's mind-altering effects, it has been credited for several aspects of human culture.

[Music] Fermented beverages in ancient China may have served as a way to communicate with gods and deceased ancestors at funerary ceremonies. Right? Wine, similar to those discovered in prehistoric Georgia, is now a component of the Christian ritual, the Eucharist. In the Middle East, the home of the earliest evidence of beer, the earliest form of writing was also discovered. This form of writing is thought to have developed as a way to account for the production of crops, including barley for beer. Through moderate consumption, alcohol may continue to contribute to countless other aspects of human culture.

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