DJ wants to know "Why do we have tongues?" We covered the sense of taste today. We determined the sense organ is the tongue, the stimulus is chemicals, and this sense keeps us safe (e.g. by letting us know if food is spoiled). The tongue is a muscle that can sense temperature, texture, and flavors. We can taste sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami which is a Japanese term for savory (examples include pork, chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, soy Parmesan cheese, etc.) Did you know the side of your tongue is more sensitive to taste? |
The images to the right are of the tongue
| Camilo wants to know "What creates spit?" Ty wants to know "How do taste buds work?" Marcus wants to know "How does taste work?" |
Here is a video that summarizes all the information that we covered (and then some):
The Brain's Role in Taste
Carter wants to know "Can your taste buds get things wrong?"
The students did a taste test where they were given two small glasses of lemon lime soda. They were asked to rate the one they liked best and explain why. I had two bottles of soda on the table - one was Sprite and the other was Wegman's lemon lime soda. I explained that Sprite was 2.5x more expensive. They were lead to believe that they had a glass of each (but I never actually said that), but in reality they had two glasses of Sprite. A handful of kids said the two glasses were identical, but many said they preferred one over the other and gave descriptions such as:
The students did a taste test where they were given two small glasses of lemon lime soda. They were asked to rate the one they liked best and explain why. I had two bottles of soda on the table - one was Sprite and the other was Wegman's lemon lime soda. I explained that Sprite was 2.5x more expensive. They were lead to believe that they had a glass of each (but I never actually said that), but in reality they had two glasses of Sprite. A handful of kids said the two glasses were identical, but many said they preferred one over the other and gave descriptions such as:
It just goes to show you that your brain plays a role in your sense of taste. This has been proven again and again when it comes to wine (not that this would apply to students). People consistently say that expensive wine tastes better, even when it frequently doesn't prove out in blind taste tests.
Spicy Foods
Seneca had a question about spicy foods. I thought this might be a good way to end our talk on the 5 senses because spicy foods affect our taste, smell, and touch. Take a look at this video: