logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2022
26m 58s

Focus – How We Taste

The Bertarelli Foundation
About this episode

How do we taste? What evolutionary benefit is there to tasting bitter and sour? And why should you think about wearing noise-cancelling headphones on planes if you want to enjoy your food?   
 
In this Focus episode of How We’re Wired, join producer Dr Eva Higginbotham as she uncovers the neuroscience underpinning taste, from how you can optimise dishes using synergistic umami to a test to discover if you’re a supertaster.  
 
With special thanks to Robert Parks and Barry Smith.  
 
How We’re Wired is a Fresh Air Production for The Bertarelli Foundation. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Nov 2023
When We Ask You A Question
What do you want to know about the brain? What mysteries of human behaviour do you want to understand? And what incredible awards has How We're Wired won in the 13th Annual Lovies? In this special episode, Dr Anna Machin shares some good news, and asks a quick favour... Send ques ... Show More
2m 15s
Jul 2023
Finale - How Are We Wired?
How do our brains get wired up in the womb? Why is it important that nerve cells find the correct partners to form connections? And how has our understanding of this vital process changed over the last 40 years? In this special episode, join evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Ma ... Show More
35m 41s
Jul 2023
Introducing... Ocean Matters
How We're Wired season 1's final episode will be with you next week, but in the meantime, why not check out our sister podcast Ocean Matters? Our ocean is the earth's defining feature. But the blue of our blue planet is so much more than just a colour. It is rich with life and pl ... Show More
4m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
Smell and Taste, Part 1: How to be a better coffee taster
So you’ve just taken a sip of a very rare coffee, and flavours of passion fruit explode in your mouth. But here’s the thing: that flavour of passion fruit is not coming from your mouth. It’s not even coming from your nostrils. It’s being picked up behind your eyes! In this first ... Show More
44m 33s
Jul 2024
Science of Success: What It Takes to Make a Better Berry
What makes for a luxury strawberry? Is it the taste? Texture? Color? Around five years ago, berry company Driscoll’s released a new, premium line of berries with a higher price tag. Some consumers are shelling out almost 70% more to get their hands on this fancy fruit. But what a ... Show More
11m 6s
Jan 2025
Going Outside Can Change Our Hormones and Improve Microbiome Diversity
Going outside has many benefits, from positively affecting our nervous system to diversifying our microbiome. But you don’t need a forest preserve to benefit from nature—sometimes even a houseplant or the smell of lavender can improve our life. Kathy Willis, a professor of biodiv ... Show More
18m 11s
Sep 15
How to Harness Your Intuition & The Surprising Science Hidden in Music
It might sound strange, but the way you evaluate your relationship could actually depend on the chair you’re sitting in. Multiple experiments suggest that posture and stance can influence how you judge your marriage or partnership. In the opening segment, I explain this fascinati ... Show More
49m 19s
Sep 12
Unpacking the Brain’s Role in Inventing Your Perception
Human brains don’t just perceive reality—they invent it. In this episode of Science Quickly, cognitive neuroscientist Daniel Yon speaks with host Rachel Feltman about how perception is an active process of prediction in which the brain constructs theories about the world that can ... Show More
15m 37s
Sep 19
The Spark of Life
In the 1920s, a Russian biologist studying onion roots made a surprising discovery: underground, down in the darkness, it seemed like the cells inside the onion roots were making their own … light. The “onion root experiment” went on to become something of a cult classic in scien ... Show More
36m 1s
Sep 30
Unlock Your Brain’s Full Potential
Aspire with Emma Grede is a finalist for Best New Podcast with Signal’s Listener Choice Awards! Vote here. What if your brain holds the key to unlocking success, resilience, and joy? In this episode, Emma sits down with neuroscientist, executive coach, and MIT lecturer Dr. Tara S ... Show More
1h 19m
Aug 25
Pointless Tongue vs Amazing Eye: English Listening Ep 824
Wouldn't it be amazing if you could grow a brand new eye? Or that a simple snail could hold the secret to curing human blindness? Welcome to a fascinating new episode where we help you learn https://adeptenglish.com/company/learning-system/ English with some amazing stories."Look ... Show More
13m 4s
Jul 8
Dame Pratibha Gai on training atoms to do what we want
Chemical reactions are the backbone of modern society: the energy we use, the medicines we take, our housing materials, even the foods we eat, are created by reacting different substances together. If we zoom in, it’s the atoms within these substances that rearrange themselves to ... Show More
28m 23s