Tag: flavor

• The Sour Paradox and Memory Loss is Memory Gain

  Of the classic five categories of taste, sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami, only one of them has no discernible evolutionary purpose. Scientists do not understand why we even sense sour, let alone why it is so pervasive across species. Jeff and Anthony look at the evidence and consider the most prominent theories. Then, what if having a touch time remembering something isn't a bug, but a feature? Anthony and Jeff examine a new paper that suggests that out brain is optimizing for success when it limits recall. [more]

  February 26, 2022Episodes

• Banana Bred

  Japanese researchers made a botanical announcement on Monday that quickly circled the world. They had developed a banana with an edible peel, allowing Japanese consumers to eat an entire banana—skin and all—the way they would an apple or a peach. So far, the edible-peel banana is little more than designer fruit. Researchers develop the fruit in weekly batches of 10, and sell them at a single market in Okayama for nearly $6 apiece. There's also the question of whether a banana peel is actually worth eating (nutrient verdict: mixed) and whether inedible banana peels had, rather suddenly, become too big of a nuisance for people who slip on them to bear anymore. Jeff and Anthony debate this fruit's appeal. [more]

  February 13, 2018Episodes