Discovery: Taste receptors found in lungs

http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-10-discovery-receptors-lungs-people-asthma.html

by goalieca • 16 years ago

32 7 16 years ago

forensic2• 16 years ago

Makes a lot of sense. People talk about tasting the air.

I've always kind of felt like fully inhaling stuff through the mouth gives you more than just the smell. This was always just a very subjective experience though.

AngryParsley• 16 years ago

From the article:

The researchers say that in the lung, the taste receptors are not clustered in buds and do not send signals to the brain, yet they respond to substances that have a bitter taste.

The bitter-sensing cells in your lungs aren't connected to the brain, so you can't get any sensory information from them. They just cause passageways in the lungs to dilate.

forensic2• 16 years ago

I did read that.

My thought was that, if your lungs have bitterness receptors and you experience physiological change based on them, then inhaling certain kinds of air that lack the bitterness may flush out the bitter taste and produce physiological change that corresponds to a lack of bitterness.

It's hard to separate out the effects of oxygenation and heat and focusing on the specific point when the air enters your lungs though.

So yeah I'm being unscientific.

Groxx• 16 years ago

Most of taste comes through your sense of smell, so yeah. And most of that comes through your nose, some of which is guaranteed to leak back up and improve your sense of taste.

Interesting that it's partially your lungs too, though.

nl• 16 years ago

This doesn't surprise me. I'm pretty sure I have taste receptors on the outside of my throat (ie, the front of my neck).

I first noticed it when I tasted blood after cutting myself shaving. I've done a few experiments on myself with sugar vs salt solutions, and I could identify the sugar solution pretty well.

Apparently this is uncommon, because when I tell people they look at me weirdly (although I guess that could be because they think I'm some kind of odd mutant and might sprout metal talons or something).

hugh3• 16 years ago

I wonder what could have caused these to evolve.

After all, our ancestors spent the vast majority of their time outside in the open air. Air quality really shouldn't have been an issue almost all the time, and on the odd occasions when it was (eg you somehow get into a cave where the air is bad) this wouldn't help much.

kordless• 16 years ago

I have asthma. When I was a kid, and if I had an attack, my mom would have me hold my head over the sink running hot water and then put a towel over my head to keep the steam in.

Anyone have an ideas for some liquids or foods which are bitter and could be easily made into an aerosol? I'd be halfway interested in seeing if the theory works. Asthma sucks.

Discovery: Taste receptors found in lungs

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