http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. As anyone suffering through a head cold knows, food tastes wrong when the nose is clogged, an experience that leads many to conclude that the sense of taste operates normally only when the olfactory system is also in good working order. Evidence that the taste system influences olfactory perception, however, has been vanishingly rare -until now. In a novel study this week in Nature Neuroscience, Brandeis researchers report just such an influence. http://www.physorg.com/news180716870.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:10:03 EST news180716870 New findings from the Monell Center and Kyushu University in Japan report that endocannabinoids act directly on taste receptors on the tongue to enhance sweet taste. http://www.physorg.com/news180712853.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:02:01 EST news180712853 (PhysOrg.com) -- If you've ever wondered why a close group of friends might like completely different types of music, blame their genes. A study by Nokia and Kings' College London into the musical tastes of nearly 4,000 twins reveals genetic influences on the music people like varies with genre. http://www.physorg.com/news177233156.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:26:29 EST news177233156 (PhysOrg.com) -- In 1767, chemist Joseph Priestley stood in his laboratory one day with an idea to help English mariners stay healthy on long ocean voyages. He infused water with carbon dioxide to create an effervescent liquid that mimicked the finest mineral waters consumed at European health spas. Priestley's man-made tonic, which he urged his benefactors to test aboard His Majesty's ships, never prevented a scurvy outbreak. But, as the decades passed, his carbonated water became popular in cities and towns for its enjoyable taste and later as the main ingredient of sodas, sparkling wines, and all variety of carbonated drinks. http://www.physorg.com/news174834346.html Chemistry Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:50:01 EST news174834346 (PhysOrg.com) -- It may not be possible to judge a book by its cover, but judging someone by the contents of their iTunes library could be a very different story, new research suggests. http://www.physorg.com/news170605477.html Medicine & Health Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:10:01 EST news170605477 Smokers have fewer and flatter taste buds. A study of the tongues of 62 Greek soldiers, published in the open access journal BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders, has demonstrated how cigarettes deaden the ability to taste. http://www.physorg.com/news169928831.html Medicine & Health Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:50:01 EST news169928831 (PhysOrg.com) -- Do potato chips taste better if an advertisement describes their crunchy sound? Is popcorn more flavorful if its buttery aroma is also depicted in an ad? Researchers at the University of Michigan say yes. http://www.physorg.com/news169398111.html Other Sciences Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:02:54 EST news169398111 Different projects and research are under way to create standards indicating how good agricultural and livestock products taste. http://www.physorg.com/news168542502.html Chemistry Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:10:01 EST news168542502 Corporations spend billions of dollars each year on food advertising. For example, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, and McDonald's each spent more than $1 billion in advertising in 2007. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research suggests those advertisers are missing out if their ads only mention taste and ignore our other senses. http://www.physorg.com/news167327391.html Other Sciences Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:10:03 EST news167327391 Using a combination of sensory, genetic, and in vitro approaches, researchers from the Monell Center confirm that the T1R1-T1R3 taste receptor plays a role in human umami (amino acid) taste. http://www.physorg.com/news166271871.html Medicine & Health Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:38:46 EST news166271871 Many plants protect themselves from hungry animals by producing toxic chemicals. In turn, animals rely on detecting the presence of these harmful chemicals to avoid consuming dangerous plant material. A paper, published in this week's issue of PLoS Biology, investigates the response of an insect to a common plant weapon - the toxin L-canavanine. http://www.physorg.com/news165566601.html Biology Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:20:01 EST news165566601 Pigeons may sometimes appear to randomly target city sculptures with their droppings, but according to a new Japanese study they also have the potential to become discerning art critics. http://www.physorg.com/news165128184.html Biology Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:56:53 EST news165128184 (PhysOrg.com) -- Where we are born not only determines how we speak but also how we taste our food and drink. http://www.physorg.com/news164632274.html Other Sciences Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:30:02 EST news164632274 Researchers from the Monell Center report that the red panda is the first non-primate mammal to display a liking for the artificial sweetener aspartame. This unexpected affinity for an artificial sweetener may reflect structural variation in the red panda's sweet taste receptor. http://www.physorg.com/news159022758.html Biology Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:01:18 EST news159022758 Cancer and its therapies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, may directly alter and damage taste and odor perception, possibly leading to patient malnutrition, and in severe cases, significant morbidity, according to a Virginia Tech - Wake Forest University Comprehensive Cancer Center compilation of various existing studies. Their review appears in the March/April 2009 Journal of Supportive Oncology. http://www.physorg.com/news157738322.html Medicine & Health Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:12:22 EST news157738322 Evolutionary theorist Alastair Clarke has today published details of eight patterns he claims to be the basis of all the humour that has ever been imagined or expressed, regardless of civilization, culture or personal taste. http://www.physorg.com/news156761595.html Other Sciences Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:56:06 EST news156761595 As any parent knows, children love sweet-tasting foods. Now, new research from the University of Washington and the Monell Center indicates that this heightened liking for sweetness has a biological basis and is related to children's high growth rate. http://www.physorg.com/news156604245.html Medicine & Health Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:13:49 EST news156604245 Almost 800 years after farmers in the village of Gouda in Holland first brought a creamy new cheese to market, scientists in Germany say they have cracked the secret of Gouda`s good taste. They have identified the key protein subunits, or peptides, responsible for the complex, long-lasting flavor of the popular cheese. That discovery could lead to development of more flavorful cheeses and other dairy products. Their study is in the current issue of ACS` Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. http://www.physorg.com/news155405557.html Chemistry Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:13:30 EST news155405557 Duke University Medical System researchers have discovered there are differing taste pathways for nicotine, which could provide a new approach for future smoking-cessation products. http://www.physorg.com/news151856271.html Medicine & Health Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:18:31 EST news151856271 New knowledge: Girls have a better sense of taste than boys. Every third child of school age prefers soft drinks which are not sweet. Children and young people love fish and do not think of themselves as being fussy eaters. Boys have a sweeter tooth than girls. And teenagers taste differently. http://www.physorg.com/news148653888.html Medicine & Health Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:44:48 EST news148653888 Obesity gradually numbs the taste sensation of rats to sweet foods and drives them to consume larger and ever-sweeter meals, according to neuroscientists. Findings from the Penn State study could uncover a critical link between taste and body weight, and reveal how flab hooks the brain on sugary food. http://www.physorg.com/news146922308.html Medicine & Health Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:45:08 EST news146922308 Could an aversion to bitter substances or an overall heightened sense of taste help protect some people from becoming addicted to nicotine? That's what researchers at UVA have found using an innovative new method they've developed to analyze the interactions of multiple genetic and environmental factors. Their findings one day may be key in identifying people at risk for nicotine dependence. http://www.physorg.com/news143198072.html Medicine & Health Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:14:32 EST news143198072 Getting little Doug and Debbie to take a spoonful of medicine is more than just a rite of passage for frustrated parents. Children's refusal to swallow liquid medication - and their tendency to vomit it back up - is an important public health problem that means longer or more serious illness for thousands of kids each year. In the case of HIV and AIDS pediatrics, missing a dose can be a life or death scenario. http://www.physorg.com/news138546210.html Medicine & Health Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:03:30 EST news138546210 Chemists in Philadelphia are reporting a discovery that could expand the palate of human tastes - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory - to include a new taste sensation that they term "calcium." http://www.physorg.com/news138450742.html Chemistry Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:32:22 EST news138450742 Ear infections are a painful rite of passage for many children. New research suggests the damage caused by chronic ear infections could be linked to people's preference for fatty foods, which increases their risk of being overweight as they age. Scientists from around the country presented their findings on this unexpected connection at the American Psychological Association's 116th Annual Convention here Thursday. http://www.physorg.com/news137941388.html Medicine & Health Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:03:08 EST news137941388 Many heavy meat eaters believe they eat a lot of meat because of the taste. But according to groundbreaking new research in the Journal of Consumer Research, the reason that a beef burger tastes better than a veggie burger to some people has more to do with values than actual taste. http://www.physorg.com/news135508224.html Other Sciences Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:10:24 EST news135508224