An interesting adaptation...

"The mutation responsible for the alcohol flush reaction, an unpleasant response to alcohol that is relatively common in people of Asian descent, may have occurred following the domestication of rice. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology traced the history of the version of the gene responsible." (PhysOrg)

It should be obvious by now that we are trying to steer clear of the typical college blog- you know, the ones that have more to do with 'partying' (aka binge drinking) than actual college. Having said that, I was lucky enough to catch this article, which details the origins of the evolutionary cause of what is known as "Asian flush." The flush, it turns out, is simply an evolutionary response developed to protect the individual from overconsumption of alcohol, and its detrimental effects to certain organs (particularly the liver).

Some of my Asian friends have tried to fight genetics by, for example, taking Pepto-Bismol before drinking alcohol, to overcome the negative effect of the flush. What a crazy world...