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Drunk fish act differently around sober fish

Zebrafish given alcohol speed up their swimming when around other fish, compared to swimming alone.

Researchers from NYU, led by Maurizio Porfiri, exposed a single zebrafish to ethanol, before releasing it in a group of untreated fish.

When swimming alone, the zebrafish displayed behaviour consistent with previous studies – the fish swam more quickly when exposed to low concentrations of alcohol, and slowed as the amount increased.

But in a group setting, the zebrafish exposed to the intermediate and higher alcohol concentrations almost doubled their swimming speeds, perhaps indicating the impact of peer influence.

Read more at New York University

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