Tongue News and Research

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New Study Hints at Customizable Chili Heat and Pain Relief

A new study identifying molecules that reduce the heat of chili peppers suggests the potential to develop these compounds into an “anti-spice” condiment for excessively spicy foods.

23 May 2025

Unlocking the Molecular Secrets of Sweet Taste Perception

Our enjoyment of sweets can be traced to one subset of taste receptor cells – specialized sweet-sensing cells found in our taste buds – that initiate the chain of reactions driving our strong attraction and appetite for sugar.

8 May 2025

Mice Exhibit Altruistic Actions Towards Injured Companions

Humans are not the only species that may assist their injured companions; mice might exhibit similar behaviors, as demonstrated by a recent study conducted by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and published in Science.

10 Mar 2025

Researchers Uncover How Fruit Flies Taste Food Texture

A study led by Nikita Komarov and Simon Sprecher at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, has discovered neurons in the fly larva mouth that allow the taste of food texture.

31 Jan 2025

New Imaging Technique Reveals Microbial Interactions

Numerous species of oral bacteria have been identified by scientists, but there are still many unanswered questions about how they interact.

19 Nov 2024

'Synthetic tongue' identifies and kills oral bacteria

From the discomfort of plaque buildup on the teeth to the unpleasant condition of halitosis, bacteria play a significant role in oral health.

27 Feb 2024

Prefrontal Neurons’ Cascade of Phonetic Representations

A new study led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) uses sophisticated brain recording techniques to show how neurons in the human brain cooperate to enable people to plan words for speech and then produce them verbally.

5 Feb 2024

A Newly Discovered Iguana in Asia’s Reptile Realm

An iguana has become part of Asia’s diverse reptile population, officially documented as a newly discovered species in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

29 Dec 2023

Distinctive Taste Receptors Between a Moth’s Larval and Adult Stages

New research reveals that the cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) employs distinct sugar-sensing mechanisms in its larval and adult stages to fulfill its dietary preferences.

8 Nov 2023

New Way to Visualize Tumors During Surgery

Surgeons often face the challenge of achieving precise tumor removal while preserving healthy tissue. Traditionally, they rely on their visual and tactile senses to determine where to make incisions.

17 Oct 2023

Scientists Find Surprise in Renowned Killer Whale Ancestry

Evolutionary biologists have achieved a significant milestone by unraveling the genetic ancestry of a renowned killer whale and its pod.

12 Oct 2023

Madagascar's Leaf-Tailed Geckos Still Hold Many Mysteries

Leaf-tailed geckos are masters of camouflage. Some species have skin flaps around the whole body and head, as well as flattened tails.

17 Aug 2023

The Bilateral Laryngeal Motor Cortex’s Role in Preventing Speech Perception Difficulties

Understanding how the motor cortex participates in active inference of speech perception and choice is critical for understanding human language intelligence, which may inspire the next generation of AI.

10 Aug 2023

Extraoral Bitter Taste Receptors Serve as Endogenous Sensors for Bile Acids

Taste receptors for bitter substances are not only observed on the tongue but also on cells outside of the oral cavity.

5 Jul 2023

Study Sheds Light on How Foxp2 Gene Controls the Ability to Produce Speech

Mutations of a gene called Foxp2 have been linked to a type of speech disorder called apraxia that makes it difficult to produce sequences of sound. A new study from MIT and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University sheds light on how this gene controls the ability to produce speech.

5 May 2023

A protein in the lung forms a natural protective barrier against SARS-CoV-2 infection

University of Sydney scientists have discovered a protein in the lung that blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection and forms a natural protective barrier in the human body.

10 Feb 2023

Synthetic biosensor could lead to better understanding of cell biology

A synthetic biosensor that mimics properties found in cell membranes and provides an electronic readout of activity could lead to a better understanding of cell biology, development of new drugs, and the creation of sensory organs on a chip capable of detecting chemicals, similar to how noses and tongues work.

8 Feb 2023