[Magdalen] Supertasters and random quiz

[Sally Davies]

Fun neuroscience fact of the day: people have differing amounts of
tastebuds which is why some are far more sensitive to flavour than others.

An at-home test for how well endowed you are: Apply  a couple of drops of
blue food color to your tongue and swallow a few times. Then examine
your tongue's surface; fungiform papillae won't pick up the dye, so they'll
look like pink polka dots on a blue background. If your tongue appears to
be almost solid pink, then you have tons of fungiform papillae and may be a
supertaster.

Maybe that's one for the kids to do - I don't much fancy it!

Also interesting that taste buds (which are buried under those pink polka
dots) are also found in quite a few other places around the roof of the
mouth and back of the throat. Complex perceptions of flavour are the work
of higher brain areas which call on aroma, current emotions, and memory as
well as taste.

What's the best thing you've ever tasted?

Sally D

<neuroscience maven these days.