<h2>Bottoms Up</h2>
Even the most ardent craft beer buff or wine connoisseur would have trouble arguing that alcohol doesn&#8217;t have its downsides — but that might not be the case for long.
For more than a decade, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/mar/26/an-innocent-drink-could-alcosynth-provide-all-the-joy-of-booze-without-the-dangers">according to The Guardian</a>, scientist David Nutt had been developing a synthetic alcohol substitute he calls Alcarelle. He claims his creation has the potential to allow drinkers to enjoy all the benefits of alcohol and none of the drawbacks — meaning it could bring an end to everything from hangovers to alcohol-related cancers.
<h2>Drunk History</h2>
An alcoholic beverage can be a relatively harmless way to loosen up at a party or wind down after a long day at work, but maintaining a <a href="https://inside.trinity.edu/student-life/dean-students/alcohol/online-resources/optimal-buzz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pleasant buzz</a> without getting wasted can require <a href="https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/279/128/630.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener">careful calculation</a>. Throw back one too many cocktails, and you might find yourself doing <a href="https://www.alcohol.org/effects/inhibitions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">something you&#8217;ll regret</a> while under the influence.
Excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/your-complete-guide-to-the-science-of-hangovers-180948074/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debilitating hangovers</a> in the short term, and everything from <a href="https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/alcohols-effects-body" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heart disease to various cancers</a> in the long term — and that&#8217;s not even taking into account the possibility you&#8217;ll develop an alcohol addiction.
<h2>Better Buzz</h2>
Nutt believes he can design his synthetic alcohol molecule to interact with the body in a way that avoids negative side effects.
&#8220;We know where in the brain alcohol has its &#8216;good&#8217; effects and &#8216;bad&#8217; effects, and what particular receptors mediate that – Gaba, glutamate and other ones, such as serotonin and dopamine,&#8221; Nutt told The Guardian. &#8220;The effects of alcohol are complicated but…you can target the parts of the brain you want to target.&#8221;
He&#8217;s now working to give his synthetic alcohol molecule a &#8220;peak effect&#8221; that would prevent a drinker from ever crossing the line from buzzed to wasted. He&#8217;s also designing it to lack any toxicity, thereby preventing health issues.
&#8220;And of course we don’t want hangovers,&#8221; he told The Guardian.
<h2>Under the Influence</h2>
The ultimate goal is to manufacture Alcarelle and then sell it to beverage companies so they can add it to their drinks.
Three years ago, Nutt founded the Alcarelle startup to help make that vision a reality, and the company&#8217;s managing director David Orren recently <a href="https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/lifestyle/foodanddrink/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-alcosynth-913466.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the Irish Examiner</a> that it might be able to wrap up all the necessary safety testing and regulatory requirements within five years.
If Nutt and his colleagues can perfect their synthetic alcohol substitute, global drinks analyst Jonny Forsyth thinks there&#8217;s a solid chance the alcohol industry could actually embrace the product rather than see it as new competition.
&#8220;The industry is increasingly investing in alcohol alternatives,&#8221; he told The Guardian, later adding, &#8220;If the science is right, and if it’s easy to mask the taste, I think it’s got a great chance.&#8221;
READ  MORE: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/mar/26/an-innocent-drink-could-alcosynth-provide-all-the-joy-of-booze-without-the-dangers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Could ‘alcosynth’ provide all the joy of booze – without the dangers?</a> [The Guardian]
More on alcoholism: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-bombarded-rats-brains-lasers-addiction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scientists Reversed Rats’ Alcoholism by Firing Lasers at Their Brains</a>

It reportedly won't cause hangovers or long-term health issues, either.

“Fake alcohol” that gets you buzzed but never drunk is on the way

Cheers!

Alcarelle, a synthetic alcohol with none of the downsides of the traditional kind, could be ready for market in just 5 years.

“Fake Alcohol” That Gets You Buzzed but Never Drunk Is on the Way

It could hit store shelves in as few as five years.

<h2>Risky Business</h2>
Marijuana is becoming more accepted — and that could be a problem for the alcohol industry, according to new research.
&#8220;Though not yet mainstream, cannabis adoption is certainly growing in states where it’s legal and does pose a risk to the beverage alcohol industry in the future,&#8221; Brandy Rand, U.S. president of the International Wine and Spirits Research (IWSR), a company that collects data on the alcohol industry, said in a <a href="https://www.theiwsr.com/wp-content/uploads/Press-Release-on-the-IWSR-and-BDS-Analytics-report-Legal-Cannabis-Poses-a-Long-Term-Risk-to-All-Beverage-Alcohol-Categories-in-the-U.S.-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> about its new report on alcohol and cannabis.
<h2>In the Weeds</h2>
On Thursday, the IWSR published a new report it created in partnership with BDS Analytics, a company focused on cannabis market analytics. Together, the two companies set out to determine the potential impact of legal marijuana on the alcohol industry in the future.
Based on their research, the <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/reclassify-marijuana-world-health-organization" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legalization of marijuana</a> has led to an &#8220;<a href="https://www.theiwsr.com/wp-content/uploads/Press-Release-on-the-IWSR-and-BDS-Analytics-report-Legal-Cannabis-Poses-a-Long-Term-Risk-to-All-Beverage-Alcohol-Categories-in-the-U.S.-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explosion of growth</a>&#8221; for the cannabis industry over the past few years. In places that have legalized marijuana, they estimate that up to 40 percent of people over the age of 21 now partake in it.
They believe usage of marijuana will continue to increase as acceptance of the drug expands.
<h2>Double Down</h2>
While an increase in cannabis users won&#8217;t necessarily translate to a decrease in alcohol consumption, the alcohol industry needs to be aware that this growing industry could impact its own, according to Rand.
&#8220;It’s important that alcohol brands pay attention to their consumers,&#8221; she said, &#8220;recognizing that some occasions may result in a decrease in alcohol consumption in place of, or alongside, legal cannabis.&#8221;
&#8220;Consumers will continue to look to cannabis products over alcohol for occasions when they are feeling creative, need to get motivated, or seeking health, medical or wellness benefits,&#8221; BDS Analytics&#8217;s Vice President Jessica Lukas added.
READ MORE: <a href="http://fortune.com/2019/02/21/cannabis-risk-to-alcohol-industry/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cannabis May Pose a &#8216;Long-Term Risk&#8217; to the Alcohol Industry</a> [Fortune]
More on marijuana: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/reclassify-marijuana-world-health-organization" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WHO Says UN Should Reclassify Marijuana as Less Dangerous</a>

The cannabis industry is experiencing an "explosion of growth," says new report.

Legal marijuana could threaten the alcohol industry, says report

Smoked Out

The continued legalization and acceptance of marijuana could be a problem for the alcohol industry, according to a new report.

Legal Marijuana Could Threaten the Alcohol Industry, Says Report

People might start choosing weed over wine.

Remember that massive clinical trial that was supposed to determine the health impacts of alcohol once and for all? Well, the National Institutes of Health <a href="https://acd.od.nih.gov/documents/presentations/06152018Tabak.pdf">decided Friday</a> to shut it down.
The official reasoning, in short, is that the $100 million experiment was a complete and utter train wreck, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/health/alcohol-nih-drinking.html?smid=fb-nytscience&amp;smtyp=cur">as The New York Times reported</a>. The National Institutes of Health recommended throwing out everything the study&#8217;s found so far, meaning the researchers threw away the chance of a lifetime to finally settle all the dubious health claims people make about beer, wine, and liquor.
Since we here at Futurism are now sitting around worrying instead of enjoying a <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-drinking-wine-really-good-for-your-heart-85954">maybe-helps-your-heart-maybe-increases-your-risk-of-cancer</a> glass of red wine, we decided to help the scientists of tomorrow do a better job by designing an undergraduate course on how to not totally screw up scientific research. Here is the syllabus for Common Science Sense 101, in a highly informative, five-week summer course.
Week 1: When People Give You Money, They Expect Something In Return.
Wow, who knew that taking industry money to fund an experiment would make that study’s findings questionable? Pretty much everyone! It&#8217;s called a conflict of interest, people. To avoid this, avoid funding your experiment with the greasy, greasy cash of those who stand to benefit if your results come out a particular way.
For instance, if you’re running the landmark experiment on whether or not moderate alcohol consumption has health benefits, maybe don’t take <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/03/well/eat/alcohol-national-institutes-of-health-clinical-trial.html">tens of millions of dollars</a> from alcohol companies!
Week 2: No One, Not Even You, Knows How Your Experiment Will Turn Out.
A good scientist tries to remove, or at least challenge, their assumptions. So if you already forgot last week’s lesson and are traveling to the headquarters of an alcohol company to beg for funding on your “is alcohol healthy?” study, try to avoid telling the company reps that you expect the answer to be yes.
Week 3: If You’re Running A Clinical Trial About Health Impacts, Make Sure The FDA Approves.
The U.S. Food &amp; Drug Administration is the regulatory body that oversees medical research. Don’t forget to ask for its approval! If you think you might forget, memorize this handy acronym: “Hey, Is My Research In Violation Of Federal Law? Maybe I Should Do Something About That” or “HIMRIVOFLMISDSAT.” <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2018/06/12/alcohol-study-failed-to-seek-fda-approval/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&amp;utm_campaign=b01fef7a77-MR_COPY_09&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-b01fef7a77-134219417">As STAT News reported</a>, the researchers behind this now-shut-down alcohol study forgot to HIMRIVOFLMISDSAT big time.
Week 4: If You’re Studying Something Super Controversial, Make Sure You Collect Enough Data To Actually Learn Something.
There’s a lot of money in sorting out the health risks and benefits of alcohol. If you failed week one, you&#8217;ve already learned this lesson, because you&#8217;ve already got your hands on giant wads of cash. If you want to use your study to come to conclusions that mean something, you should find a decent number of participants. For instance, you’ll need to make sure you actually recruited enough men and women to be able to tell if there’s a difference in the way alcohol affects people of different genders. If you didn&#8217;t, well, other scientists won&#8217;t pay much mind to what you&#8217;ve found.
Week 5: If You Only Recruit Volunteers In Perfect Health, You Won&#8217;t Know How That Substance Affects Anyone Else.
Stay with me here, because this one gets confusing. If you want to know how alcohol, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/mar/07/safe-level-alcohol-consumption">a poison</a>, affects the entire human species, you can’t exclude from your experiment people whose bodies already have some form of damage from alcohol.
Not so difficult, right?

This study to assess how drinking affects our health is a master class in how to do science poorly

Health & Medicine

The major study on how alcohol impacts health was just cancelled over multiple concerns of ethical and scientific failures.

This Study To Assess How Drinking Affects Our Health Is A Master Class In How To Do Science Poorly

Happy hour is ruined.

Ever since we reached towards the stars, and as a civilization, made our way upward — ever since Buzz Aldrin <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2012/sep/13/buzz-aldrin-communion-moon">took communion on the moon</a> — an awestruck human populace has often looked down the horizon of space travel, and wondered: Great, now how can we get drunk up there? And now, we&#8217;ve got an answer.
Australian brewery 4 Pines Brewing has teamed up with engineering firm Saber Astronautics Australia to develop a stout called Vostok Space Beer. They&#8217;re currently crowdfunding a brand-new type of bottle, too. Both the bottle and the brew in it are designed for consumption in space that could turn the cold, empty void into one endless, extraterrestrial party.
Mind you, this comes just days after Australia <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/05/updated-australia-creates-nation-s-first-space-agency">announced a new space agency.</a> Coupled with this news,  &#8216;seems like the country&#8217;s working hard to win the only space race that truly matters: Getting sauced, well beyond the confines of our atmosphere.
The idea behind designing a beer bottle for microgravity was to make the drinking experience as familiar as possible. Rather than relying on a squeeze bag, astronauts will be able to drink straight from the bottle thanks to surface tension — which will keep the beer clinging to the glass — and a sort of wick that will draw beer from the bottom of the bottle up towards the neck.
The beer itself is less carbonated than normal, meaning there’s less of a chance of a big bubbly mess in the middle of a space station, but also enough for the drink to still taste and feel like a beer, <a href="https://www.space.com/40542-vostok-space-beer-astronaut-bottle-4-pines.html">according to Space.com</a>
Still, there are more hurdles facing space beer aficionados than just designing a vessel for the stout. We don’t really know how drinking in different levels of gravity will affect people’s tolerance or typical alcohol metabolism, but these are the kinds questions that the brewing and engineering team hope to research if they receive funding (and good luck getting that incredible job). But truly: While Chris Hadfield’s videos of him playing an acoustic guitar and singing aboard the International Space Station (which, currently, is a designated dry area) might present spaceflight as a tranquil vacation, there’s a lot that can go wrong. Having drunken space-sailors on deck could make matters worse.
All of this goes without mentioning the fact that interstellar beer runs would be, once your supply runs out,  expensive and difficult (the beer has to come to you, basically, and unless you&#8217;ve got the cash to launch a satellite into space to beer someone, you&#8217;re outta luck). It&#8217;s why Russian (and Anheuser-Busch) scientists have conducted experiments to see if <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-to-make-beer-in-space-180968404/">hops and barley can grow in space</a>.
Currently, NASA astronauts are forbidden from drinking alcohol, though there were eventually-scrapped plans <a href="https://vinepair.com/articles/can-you-drink-alcohol-in-space/">to send sherry</a> as part of an astronaut’s meals in the 1970s. Russia, however, has had fewer restrictions and even recommended that their <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alcohol-that-has-flown-in-space-2016-1#the-presence-of-alcohol-in-space-dates-all-the-way-back-to-the-80s-and-the-soviet-union-space-station-called-mir-at-that-time-cognac-was-actually-doctor-recommended-for-russian-cosmonauts-1">astronauts drink cognac</a> from time to time. You know, for their health.
But even if the ISS isn’t about to install a minibar any time soon, 4 Pines said they have received some interest from space tourism companies who might someday want to let people enjoy a cold one while bouncing around on a parabolic flight. But until that happens, you&#8217;re just gonna have to do it the old-fashioned way, and pregame.

No word yet if beer olympics will be added to NASA's training regimen.

Drunk astronauts: This beer is the beginning of zero-gravity drinking

Off World

An Australian brewery and space engineering firm have teamed up to develop beer and a space-age beer bottle that could let astronauts drink in space.

Drunk Astronauts: This Beer Is the Beginning of Zero-Gravity Drinking

One small drink for man, one giant party for mankind. 

Christmas parties. Dates. Football games. Cookouts.
Wherever humans socialize, you can bet that the booze will follow. Its omnipresence, plus its <a href="https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20120111/study-sheds-more-light-on-why-some-get-alcoholism#1">addictive qualities</a>, can make it really hard for people to stop drinking, even if they really want to.
Now, researchers are working on a new alcohol-monitoring implant that could help people stay on the wagon. All they&#8217;ll have to give up is some of their autonomy.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) developed the implant, a biosensor about one cubic millimeter in size. It&#8217;s easy to implant under a person&#8217;s skin, no surgery required.
When a person drinks, an enzyme coating the sensor produces a chemical byproduct  that sends a wireless electrical signal to a wearable, such as a smartwatch, which remotely powers the sensor.
The researchers have already tested their alcohol-monitoring implant in the lab, using a mix of ethanol and &#8220;diluted human serum&#8221; (not quite clear what that is) beneath pig skin. Next, they plan to test it in animal models; if that goes well, human tests will follow. The researchers think they could eventually modify the implant to test for other substances.
“The ultimate goal of this work is to develop a routine, unobtrusive alcohol and drug monitoring device for patients in substance abuse treatment programs,” lead researcher Drew Hall said <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-04/uoc--tis040618.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a press release</a>.
<figure id="attachment_129035" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-129035 size-large" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2018/04/alcohol-implant-40565071564_c99df14600_k-1200x600.jpg" alt="alcohol-monitoring implant" width="1200" height="600" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: David Baillot/UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering</figcaption></figure>
To make sure patients get the proper treatment and support, professionals <a href="https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/files/LaboratryEvaluation.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">monitor addicts&#8217; usage</a> with breathalyzers, blood tests, or <a href="https://futurism.com/forget-the-breathalyzer-scientists-develop-temporary-tattoo-measuring-alcohol-intake/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">temporary tattoos</a>. According to the press release, the UCSD researchers believe their alcohol-monitoring implant is an improvement on those options.
It&#8217;s hard to disagree. You drink, and the smartwatch will find out almost right away. It can then relay that information to whoever keeps you accountable — the head of your substance abuse program, perhaps, or an AA sponsor. This could presumably help keep addicts sober, even when they don&#8217;t have a breathalyzer or blood test scheduled for the near future.
However, the sensor is also far more intrusive than other monitoring methods. It&#8217;s literally inside a person&#8217;s body. The researchers say it&#8217;s easy to implant in a clinic, but they don&#8217;t note how difficult it is to remove.
We should also pause to consider the team&#8217;s focus on substance abuse treatment programs. While some people enroll in those voluntarily, others are required to do so when they are sentenced for crimes. Requiring convicted criminals to take a breathalyzer as part of court-ordered treatment is one thing. Requiring them to agree to an implant to avoid jail time is another — a very invasive other that verges on Black Mirror territory.
If this implant can help people break up with alcohol, then great. We just need to make sure we&#8217;re willing to make that trade-off.

It's tiny and convenient. But is it too invasive?

Trying to quit drinking? This implant will snitch if you fall off the wagon

Enhanced Humans

A new alcohol-monitoring implant could make it easier for professionals to treat alcoholics, but it would require people to give up some of their autonomy.

Trying to Quit Drinking? This Implant Will Snitch If You Fall off the Wagon

The tiny tech could help people breaking up with alcohol stay sober.

It&#8217;s not every day that a group of the nation&#8217;s top cancer doctors asks people to curb their drinking.
In a <a href="http://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2017.76.1155">statement</a> released Tuesday, the American Society of Clinical Oncology outlined research tying alcohol to two types of cancer and told Americans to drink less.
&#8220;ASCO believes that a proactive stance by the Society to minimize excessive exposure to alcohol has important implications for cancer prevention,&#8221; the statement, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, said.
This is the first time the organization has taken a stance on alcohol and cancer, but it is not the first time that research has found strong links between the two.
This summer, two major research groups found strong evidence that drinking alcohol — <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alcohol-drinking-cancer-risk-2017-5">as little as a glass of wine or beer a day</a> — increases the risk of developing both pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer. For that report, scientists from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund looked at 119 studies from around the globe and incorporated data from roughly 12 million women as well as some 260,000 cases of breast cancer.
The US Department of Health and Human Services lists alcohol as a known human <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/Common/PopUps/popDefinition.aspx?id=CDR0000046486&amp;version=Patient&amp;language=English">carcinogen</a>. Research highlighted by the National Cancer Institute suggests that the more alcohol you drink — <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/alcohol/alcohol-fact-sheet">particularly the more you drink regularly</a> — the higher your risk of developing cancer.
Still, before you pour out the wine in your cupboard, it&#8217;s important to keep in mind that the researchers are not saying every glass jacks up your chances of getting cancer.
&#8220;We&#8217;re not saying no one should ever drink at all — we&#8217;re just saying if you do drink, even trying to keep it down to less than one drink a day would be a smart choice,&#8221; Alice Bender, a registered dietitian who is the head of nutrition programs for the AICR, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/alcohol-drinking-cancer-risk-2017-5">told Business Insider in May</a>.
The researchers behind ASCO&#8217;s latest statement agree.
&#8220;The message is not, &#8216;Don&#8217;t drink.&#8217; It&#8217;s, &#8216;If you want to reduce your cancer risk, drink less. And if you don&#8217;t drink, don&#8217;t start,'&#8221; Noelle LoConte, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who was the lead author of the ASCO statement, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/07/well/live/cancer-doctors-cite-risks-of-drinking-alcohol.html?_r=0">told The New York Times</a>.
Alcohol is not the only important factor to consider when trying to reduce your cancer risk — your genes, exercise regimen, and exposure to pollutants can play a role, too.
The recent study also found, for example, that vigorous exercise was linked with a significant decrease in breast-cancer risk. The women in the studies who were the most active had a lower risk of developing cancer compared with those who exercised the least.
&#8220;It&#8217;s good to look at where you are with diet and physical activity and look at places where you might improve and just start every day to take some simple steps to decrease your risk and improve your health,&#8221; Bender said. &#8220;A little bit of change can make a real difference.&#8221;

"If you want to reduce your cancer risk, drink less. And if you don't drink, don't start."

For the First Time Ever, Top Cancer Doctors Are Telling People to Drink Less Alcohol

The American Society of Clinical Oncology has made a statement that encourages people to limit their alcohol intake to help prevent cancer.

World's Leading Cancer Doctors Say People Need to Drink Less Alcohol

This is the first time the organization has ever taken a stance on alcohol and cancer.

World’s Leading Cancer Doctors Say People Need to Drink Less Alcohol

Beer has been around for thousands of years — 5,000, in fact, according to <a href="http://blog.pnas.org/2016/05/journal-club-ancient-pottery-harbors-5000-year-old-beer-recipe/">a recent paper</a>. There&#8217;s evidence that early Chinese civilizations (around 3400-2900 BC) fermented grains in clay pottery to make some of the earliest brews.
The basic process hasn&#8217;t changed much in that time: grains, which often go through an initial malting process, are &#8220;mashed&#8221; (steeped in hot water) to release sugars. Yeast consumes that sugar and turns it into alcohol. The process for wine is similar: grapes are harvested then pulped, then the yeast ferments the mixture.
The basics may have stayed the same, but we&#8217;ve iterated on the process to make more booze at once, and we tweak parts of the process to imbue the brews with different, creative flavors. The reason is clear: humans love enjoying the occasional alcoholic beverage, and we aren&#8217;t going to stop anytime soon. In fact, we continue to develop new techniques and innovations to help us drink differently or, sometimes, better. Here are five ways your booze might be different in the near future.
<h2>Warmer Climes Mean More Dime For Your Wine</h2>
The changing climate is a wildcard for vineyards. Temperature drastically affects the quality of grapes — rising temperatures increase sugar content and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996910001535">cause surprising flavor changes</a> in wine made predictably from the same grapes for generations. Temperatures are soaring in wine regions such as the <a href="https://www.eater.com/2017/6/9/15711706/climate-change-wine-burgundy-chablis-california">Alto Adige in Northern Italy</a>, leaving grape farmers and winemakers unsure of when to harvest their grapes. Unpredictable cold snaps can catch winemakers by surprise, freezing and destroying younger vines, sometimes wiping out an entire crop.
Many traditional wine-making regions, such as the <a href="https://www.salon.com/2014/01/29/bad_news_for_wine_lovers_californias_drought_hits_napa/">Napa Valley vineyards in California</a>, are drier than ever, forcing farmers to drastically alter their production schedules. The International Organisation of Vine and Wine reported that 2017 <a href="http://www.oiv.int/en/oiv-life/2017-world-wine-production-estimated-at-2467-mhla-fall-of-82-compared-with-2016">had a historically low production</a> &#8220;due to unfavorable climate conditions.&#8221; Shortages have led to <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-24746539">skyrocketing prices on the global market</a>, leading to a <a href="https://www.nanomatrixsecure.com/blog/global-wine-and-spirits-industry-overview">steady decline</a> in wine production since it peaked back in 2004. As a result, wine exports and imports of international varieties <a href="https://www.nanomatrixsecure.com/blog/global-wine-and-spirits-industry-overview">have jumped</a> in to meet the ever-increasing demand — a trend that seems likely to continue into the future. 
<h2>Imitation Vintage</h2>
As climatic conditions become harder to predict and specific varieties more scarce, people have begun to produce &#8220;synthetic wines.&#8221; Synthetic wine <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170202031522/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2088322-synthetic-wine-made-without-grapes-claims-to-mimic-fine-vintages/">mimics the real thing</a> with high-proof corn alcohol combined with ethanol and fruity, aromatic organic compounds.
A San Francisco startup called Ava Winery claims to have created a synthetic wine that its creators claim is indistinguishable from the real thing. &#8220;The big secret here is that most compounds in wine have no perceptible impact on the flavor or the aroma,&#8221; co-founder Alec Lee <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170202031522/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2088322-synthetic-wine-made-without-grapes-claims-to-mimic-fine-vintages/">told New Scientist</a>.
But simply replacing chardonnay and pinot noir isn&#8217;t so easy. The sommeliers and winemakers themselves have yet to be convinced by Ava Winery&#8217;s product: &#8220;It’s nonsense, to be honest with you,&#8221; Alain Deloire, director of the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre at Charles Sturt University, Australia <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170202031522/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2088322-synthetic-wine-made-without-grapes-claims-to-mimic-fine-vintages/">told the New Scientist</a>. Two amateur wine drinkers were easily able to distinguish the synthetic and traditional wines in a blind taste test &#8220;based on its weird smell and not so great aftertaste,&#8221; New Scientist notes.
<h2>Subterranean Fermentation</h2>
<figure id="attachment_108998" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-large wp-image-108998" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/10/palmaz_cavesystem-v02-1200x756.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="756" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: <a href="https://palmazvineyard.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/palmaz_cavesystem-v02.jpg">Palmaz Vineyard</a></figcaption></figure>
The winemakers at Palmaz Vineyards in Napa Valley, California are still turning crushed grapes into a delicious fermented product. How they&#8217;re going about that, however, is anything but traditional.
The winery has created the FILCS (<a href="https://www.palmazvineyards.com/Blog/Detail/291">Fermentation Intelligent Logic Control System</a>),  a 240-foot tall, five level complex. Each of the 24 fermentation vessels is equipped with a probe that uses small vibrations to occasionally measure the density of the liquid, revealing the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/10/travel/hotel-and-tour-news-art-in-soho-hiking-and-wine-in-napa.html?_r=0">temperature, sugar content, and alcohol level</a> of the brew. That kind of information helps winemakers bring lab-grade consistency to winemaking, resulting in a predictable, delicious final product. That&#8217;s more economical, too, because winemakers won&#8217;t lose a batch to some unexpected aftertaste, and customers might keep buying a product that they can trust will be consistently high-quality.
This level of control may give winemakers more consistent end products, but some might dispute whether or not that creates a better wine. Inventor Christian Palmaz notes <a href="https://www.palmazvineyards.com/Blog/Detail/291">in the same blog post</a>, &#8220;wine is still made in the vineyard,&#8221; even when its produced with the fanciest of technologies after harvest — the quality of the grape, and where it is grown determines most of a wine&#8217;s characteristics. High-quality grapes probably still make a great wine, with or without a high-tech control system.
<h2>Capturing Wild Yeast</h2>
<figure id="attachment_109121" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-large wp-image-109121" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/11/CAN_Sour-Beer_Mini-Fermentors-1200x675.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="675" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: <a href="http://www.indiana.edu/~helicase/members.html">Matt Bochman/Indiana University</a></figcaption></figure>
Beer brewers use hundreds of yeast varieties today. Different varieties of yeasts give beer flavors like apple, pepper, pine, and clove in the final product. Fermentation byproducts create these unique notes. The same yeast, under different temperature conditions, can result in different flavors.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae may be the most common species of yeast used in beer and wine today, but it&#8217;s one of many — yeast varieties of the genera Pediococcus and Brettanomyces, as well as Lactobacillus bacteria used for intentionally souring certain beer types, are less common today but were used as far back <a href="http://www.visitflanders.com/en/themes/belgian-beer/a-brief-history-of-belgian-beer/">as the Middle Ages</a>. Today, breweries have <a href="https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/wine/a-guide-to-the-funky-anything-goes-world-of-farmhouse-ales/article33925500/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&amp;">revived a wealth of different beer styles</a> that use these unconventional yeast species, offering beer drinkers vastly different flavors and notes.
Craft brewers are increasingly turning to <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/science-public/wild-yeasts-are-brewing-batches-trendy-beers">local, native yeasts</a> to alter the flavor of the final product. Sometimes they purposely introduce different microbes to alter the flavor; other times, through a process called spontaneous fermentation, they let the wort ferment outside, allowing microbes from the local environment to creep in. Similar to the way local peat and minerals in the waters off of Scotland&#8217;s shores influence the flavor of Scotch, wild yeast found in the vicinity of a brewery can influence fermentation, and consequently, the beer&#8217;s flavor.
Even after centuries of this practice, brewers and scientists were still not sure which microbes were the ones making the changes during spontaneous fermentation. So geneticists got involved. Maitreya Dunham, a microorganisms geneticist from the University of Washington, analyzed a local brewery&#8217;s wild ale. Most of the bacteria and yeast she found there were already known to science, but one, later dubbed Pichia membranifaciens, was a new hybrid yeast (an organism that <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/06/15/150722">adapts and diversifies genetically</a> to survive) that was new, <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/science-public/wild-yeasts-are-brewing-batches-trendy-beers">Science News reports</a>. Though brewers and scientists <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-07-species-yeast-beer-brewers-heights.html">discover new yeast strains</a> every year, most aren&#8217;t suitable for producing alcohol because they are only efficient at producing alcohol when <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/science-public/wild-yeasts-are-brewing-batches-trendy-beers">in contact with other bacteria or yeasts</a>, or produce unpleasant smells or tastes.
<h2>Engineered Yeast</h2>
<figure id="attachment_109146" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-large wp-image-109146" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/11/Laboratoorne_pagaripärm_Saccharomyces_cerevisiae_agariplaadil.-1200x800.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharomyces_cerevisiae#/media/File:Laboratoorne_pagarip%C3%A4rm_(Saccharomyces_cerevisiae)_agariplaadil..JPG">Wikimedia Commons</a></figcaption></figure>
Genetic engineering may soon allow us to <a href="https://futurism.com/crispr-is-on-the-cusp-of-eradicating-a-host-of-diseases/">eradicate diseases</a>, and even <a href="https://futurism.com/first-u-s-human-embryo-gene-editing-experiment-successfully-corrects-a-heart-condition/">&#8220;delete&#8221; a heart condition</a> in a human embryo. Now <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016770121630149X">even amateur scientists</a> can use the same gene editing technique to alter yeast species to brew beer with unique traits. <a href="http://www.the-odin.com/beginner-kits/">A kit containing the CRISPR-Cas9</a> enzyme complex, you can <a href="http://www.the-odin.com/crispr-yeast-guide/">modify the genome of the common brewer&#8217;s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae</a> so that it turns pink instead of its natural creamy white, just in your home kitchen. While that color change won&#8217;t affect the flavor the yeast creates, it&#8217;s not hard to imagine that tweaking the yeast&#8217;s DNA could soon lead to new, unique flavors of beer.
To see if he could modify the flavor of beer by editing the yeast, Kevin Verstrepen, a professor of genetics at the University of Leuven in Belgium, <a href="https://www.eater.com/beer/2016/11/7/13544914/gmo-beer-yeast">sequenced hundreds of local beer yeast genomes</a>, and used CRISPR to tinker with their genetic code. He created a unique strain that has a 30-fold increase in the presence of the banana-flavored compound isoamyl acetate. The result tasted like &#8220;a bit of an artificial banana milkshake mixed with beer,&#8221; <a href="https://www.eater.com/beer/2016/11/7/13544914/gmo-beer-yeast">he told Eater.</a>
&#8220;I think the most promising side of these GM [genetically modified] technologies is that you can take an existing yeast that makes the exact beer you want — the perfect Budweiser or Miller or whatever — and you can make the yeast better,&#8221; <a href="https://www.eater.com/beer/2016/11/7/13544914/gmo-beer-yeast">he told Eater</a>.
Future brewers, then, could create customized beer yeast, producing truly unique and personalized flavor profiles. Yet hurdles such as <a href="https://www.alumniportal-deutschland.org/en/germany/eating-drinking/german-beer-purity-law/">antiquated laws</a> on food safety as well as health concerns will likely delay this future.

Sci-Fi Visions

Fermenting grain and wine is over 5,000 years old, and much has changed in the world of beer brewing and wine making. Here are the drinks you can look forward to having within the next decade.

Five Ways Science Will Change The Way We Drink

These five fermentations of the future will give us more choice than ever.

<h2>A Guiltless Pleasure?</h2>
Alcohol, though widely enjoyed by a lot of people, is known to cause several health risks and complications. Globally, alcohol misuse is the <a href="https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics" target="_blank">fifth leading risk factor</a> for premature death and disability.
But developments from Imperial College Professor David Nutt claim to be on to a solution by synthesizing Alcosynth. The drink is said to be a healthier option to give drinkers that sociable buzz without the dry mouth, nausea, and throbbing headache. Previously reported formulas of alcosynth listed a derivative of benzodiazepine as its active ingredient. However, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/hangover-free-alcohol-david-nutt-alcosynth-nhs-postive-effects-benzodiazepine-guy-bentley-a7324076.html">Professor Nutt</a> claims that his formula does not contain the drug. In fact, his formula is &#8220;a closely guarded, patented secret.&#8221;
“It will be there alongside the scotch and the gin, they&#8217;ll dispense the alcosynth into your cocktail and then you&#8217;ll have the pleasure without damaging your liver and your heart,” <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/hangover-free-alcohol-david-nutt-alcosynth-nhs-postive-effects-benzodiazepine-guy-bentley-a7324076.html" target="_blank">Nutt said</a> in a report by The Independent. He also comments that &#8220;they go very nicely into mojitos.&#8221;
Nutt believes that alcosynth will revolutionize public health, and that by 2050, it will have completely replaced conventional alcohol.
<figure style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-medium" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/09/494385519-640x426.jpg" alt="Image credit: Thinkstock" width="640" height="426" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image credit: Thinkstock</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Alcosynth Safety</h2>
However, alcosynth is being closely monitored for potential health risks. Nutt defends alcosynth research, saying that it is non-toxic and grounded in extensive research on how substances affect the brain. &#8220;We know where the good effects of alcohol are mediated in the brain, and can mimic them&#8230;by not touching the bad areas, we don&#8217;t have the bad effects.”
He states that the formula could be tweaked to set a maximum effect, meaning that, unlike alcohol, a person&#8217;s &#8220;drunkeness&#8221; could only be compounded to a specific point.
Even so, we need to verify these claims and move forward cautiously. If the drink works as intended, it would be welcome news for responsible drinkers looking to avoid the downsides of the morning after, but that &#8220;if&#8221; needs to be removed prior to it being released for consumption.
To that end, to date, extensive data is not readily available, and it will be very important for research to focus on the intended effects as well as any possible unintended ones. Moreover, even if alcosynth does eliminate hangovers, it is important to remember that it still does not claim to remedy all of the other ways intoxication is dangerous (impaired judgement, drunk driving, etc.) to drinkers as well as those around them.

Hard Science

A synthetic alcohol claiming to be a healthier replacement for alcohol is being developed. However, further study on Alcosynth is needed to address the uncertainties the product brings forth.

A “Hangover Free” Alcohol Alternative is Under Development

Could taking away the risk of a hangover lead to other bad choices?

Small, disposable &#8220;tattoos&#8221; that measure <a href="https://futurism.com/electronic-tattoo-can-monitor-muscle-activity-and-map-emotions/">specific things</a> in the body are steadily gaining traction for medicinal and monitoring purposes. A new invention continues that trend. Scientists from University of California, San Diego have created a <a href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/temporary-tattoo-keeps-tab-on-alcohol-intake?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IeeeSpectrum+%28IEEE+Spectrum%29">temporary tattoo</a> that can accurately measure alcohol levels.
Should this tech be embraced, the invasive nature blood alcohol analysis as well as the unreliability of breathalyzers could become a thing of the past. The research offers an alternative solution for law enforcement as well as those looking to track their own intake.
The key here is sweat, which can be used to measure alcohol levels. The silver and silver chloride electrodes on the tattoo paper trigger a current activating a gel in the tattoo, releasing a drug that forces the skin to sweat. With the production of sweat, an electrochemical sensor made of an alcohol-sensitive enzyme measures alcohol concentration.
<img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/07/se-2016-00356a_0006.gif" alt="undefined" width="500" height="202" />
All  the monitoring is controlled by an electronic board connected magnetically to the tattoo. The board records the measurements and transmits the data via Bluetooth to a smartphone. The study was published in <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acssensors.6b00356?journalCode=ascefj">ACS Sensors</a>. The tech is currently one-time use, but the researchers are planning to separate board and tattoo to make the device last longer.

Scientists have created a temporary tattoo that use sweat to measure alcohol levels in the body.

Forget the Breathalyzer: Scientists Develop Temporary Tattoo Measuring Alcohol Intake

Your skin has never been more informative.

The future of wine is here. And it’ll cost you.

The future of wine is here. And it'll cost you.

/Alcohol

Cheers!

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Hard Science

A “Hangover Free” Alcohol Alternative is Under Development

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Forget the Breathalyzer: Scientists Develop Temporary Tattoo Measuring Alcohol Intake

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