Tag: taste

• Salty

  Exactly how our taste buds sense saltiness is a mystery, and researchers haven’t deciphered all of the details yet. In fact, the more they look at salt sensation, the weirder it gets. Jeff and Anthony get their licks in, working through everything that is known - and unknown - about tasting salt. [more]

  September 29, 2023Episodes

• Tongue Vision

  Scientists are innovating in the field of Sensory Substitution, using one sense to compensate for an impairment in another. Jeff and Anthony discuss a new study that uses a device called BrainPort to convey visual information to the tongue, in conjunction with audio signals. Could it be an inexpensive alternative to retinal implants? [more]

  August 21, 2022Episodes

• 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

• Big Skittle Lies

  Do gummy bears really come in different flavors, or do we just think they taste different because they are different colors? While closing your eyes, your accuracy in differentiating flavors majorly declines. This phenomenon is something that scientists are studying- and something big candy companies have counted on for years. Jeff and Anthony investigate to see just how deep the gummy worm hole really goes. [more]

  January 19, 2018Episodes