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The Taste of Pain

Posted by michael on from the tastes-like-burning dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The more the human genome is unraveled and previously non-genetic based attributes are now associated with a specific genetic function, such as physical and emotional pain and taste, it seems, to me, that our personalities appear to be much less influenced by out environment and more by our genes." A related article links your sense of taste to your risk for cancer, heart disease, etc.

6 of 217 comments (clear)

  1. Personality is highly complex, Taste is Simple by Salis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The taste buds on your tongue are simply sensors, like your eyes, ears, nose, and hands. In fact, taste buds represent the least of all complex sensors of the human body. A taste bud is simply a receptor, waiting to bind to a molecule in solution in your mouth. Once the receptor binds to the molecule, it generates a signal that says, "bitter!" or "sweet!". Combinations of types of "bitter" and "sweet" represent the taste of the food, excluding molecules in the gas phase which are picked up by the nose. I read there were 27 or so types of "bitter" and only two types of "sweet".

    Even a human nose is more sensitive than human taste buds. There are over a hundred different types of receptors in the human nose. (And thousands in the dog nose.) Looking at one's ears or eyes, the complexity involved in generating a highly analog signal, over time, and having that signal correctly analyzed is incredible.

    And..we are not yet even talking about cerebral functions like reason, imagination, moods, memory, or even behavioral instinct!

    Yes, finding the genes that code for the receptors of the tongue is really great. But do not assume that the amazing complexity of the human body, even excluding the brain, will be fully understood for quite a bit of time.

    Salis

    --
    Favorite /. tagline: "On the eighth day, God created FORTRAN." And it was good.
    1. Re:Personality is highly complex, Taste is Simple by Ian+Jefferies · · Score: 5, Insightful

      A taste bud is simply a receptor, waiting to bind to a molecule in solution in your mouth. Once the receptor binds to the molecule, it generates a signal that says, "bitter!" or "sweet!".

      The bitter taste of food has a fairly strong association with alkaloid based compounds (usually poisons of varying strengths). At an early stage in life when you're putting most things in you mouth to explore their taste and texture, having a reflexive dislike of bitter food is a good thing that helps keep you alive.

      A taste/reflex like this is going to act as a positive selection method in evolution, so a genetic representation isn't too surprising.

      Ian.

      --
      A physicist is an atom's way of thinking about atoms
  2. future...? by AndyMan! · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It seems to me, on a philisophical note, that as the genome continues to be explored, we will continue to be surprised at what's found. However, the really interesting part will be when the project is finished, and we discover what was NOT found.

    _Am

  3. Chicken, by Openadvocate · · Score: 5, Funny

    Chicken, pain tastes like chicken..

    --
    my sig
  4. I say! by spinlocked · · Score: 5, Funny

    In this case it's well worth it to RTFA:

    She's lovely

    Maybe it's just in my genetic makeup to fancy raven haired beauties who lick lollypops... Rrr.

    --
    # init 5
    Connection closed.

    Oh... ...bugger.
  5. "Doomed to live out our genes" by ApharmdB · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yea, I can only wish. My father is quite the ladies' man while I am reading slashdot.