Dr. Cristina Giuliani discusses the physiology of taste in this episode with Stanley. As Dr. Guiliana explains, taste is way more complicated than you think: "it's a sort of sensory modality to evaluate food toxicity, to select high energy foods, and to prepare the body to extract energy from foods." Taste receptors are actually located in many different areas of our body, far beyond the tongue. For instance, one bitter receptor (TAS2R38) is not only located in the oral cavity but in the upper respiratory airways. These receptors play a far greater role in sensing our environments than we've previously known. 

This is pretty cool stuff, but it may take a close listen. If you're interested in learning more, check out Dr. Guiliani's publication with Stanley Ulijaszek and other colleagues in Advances in Nutrition entitled, Ecological Sensing Through Taste and Chemosensation Mediates Inflammation: A Biological Anthropological Approach.

Dr. Cristina Giuliani is a biological anthropologist and senior assistant professor at the University of Bologna and Research Affiliate of Oxford University. For an overview of her research team and the activities they perform, visit the Molecular Anthropology Lab at the University of Bologna.