Rocket holds up a tongue map drawing. "Sweet at the tip, bitter at the back. Easy!" he says.
Raven tilts her head. "What do you notice? Does the newest science agree?"
Nova shows a picture of a bumpy tongue. "Check where the taste cells really are," she says.
Rocket laughs. "If my map is wrong, I get to learn something new!"
Look at the top of a tongue. It is rough and bumpy.
The bumps are called papillae. Many of them hold taste buds.
Taste buds are also on the roof of the mouth and in the throat.
People are born with about 10,000 taste buds.
Taste cells send signals along nerves to the brain. The brain names the taste.
Here is a surprise. The old tongue map is a mix up.
Taste cells for each taste are scattered all over the tongue.
So Rocket's map is not right. Great job spotting a myth, Rocket!
Your nose helps you taste!
When you chew, smells travel from the back of your throat up to your nose.
Your brain mixes taste and smell together. That mix is called flavor.
Flavor is how you can tell a pear from an apple.
With a stuffy nose, food can seem bland. The smells cannot reach your receptors.
Your tongue also needs spit. A dry tongue cannot taste a thing.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Taste buds are only on the tongue. | ? |
| Smell helps make flavor. | ? |
| A stuffy nose can make food seem bland. | ? |
| A dry tongue tastes best. | ? |
Awesome work this week! Tomorrow is Body Lab Day, with a touch test for the whole family.