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  • SCIENCE VS NON SCIENCE: Tongue Map

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    Paolo David
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    The document summarizes the myth of the tongue map, which claims that different parts of the tongue can only taste certain flavors. In reality, all taste receptors across the tongue can detect sweet, bitter, umami, salty, and sour flavors. This common misconception originated from a mistranslation of a German study in the early 1900s. More recent research has shown conclusively that all tastes can be detected throughout the tongue. While this myth was taught for many years, it is now the duty of educators to spread the fact that the tongue's sensitivity to taste is uniform across its surface.

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    From Ms. Kat Luzon's class. 9/10

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    The document summarizes the myth of the tongue map, which claims that different parts of the tongue can only taste certain flavors. In reality, all taste receptors across the tongue can detect sweet, bitter, umami, salty, and sour flavors. This common misconception originated from a mistranslation of a German study in the early 1900s. More recent research has shown conclusively that all tastes can be detected throughout the tongue. While this myth was taught for many years, it is now the duty of educators to spread the fact that the tongue's sensitivity to taste is uniform across its surface.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    131 views2 pages

    SCIENCE VS NON SCIENCE: Tongue Map

    Uploaded by

    Paolo David
    The document summarizes the myth of the tongue map, which claims that different parts of the tongue can only taste certain flavors. In reality, all taste receptors across the tongue can detect sweet, bitter, umami, salty, and sour flavors. This common misconception originated from a mistranslation of a German study in the early 1900s. More recent research has shown conclusively that all tastes can be detected throughout the tongue. While this myth was taught for many years, it is now the duty of educators to spread the fact that the tongue's sensitivity to taste is uniform across its surface.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 2

    David, Juan Paolo Santiago P.

    11320885

    AB-PLM CLA

    Hmmm Yummy! said by Coco Martins commercial for Nescafe. Eating and drinking are the major things you need to do to survive life. The good thing about eating is that spices up lives! Just imagine the different flavors of sweet, bitter, umami, salty, and sour! One way or another, you were told that there are different parts of your tongue which can detect certain taste. During my toddler years, I even made sure that the food that I was eating was in the proper zones of my tongue. Well, Im sorry to burst your bubbles but its not true. This common misconception originated from a theory by a psychologist named Edwin G. Boring. Edwin wrote a paper which was a translation of a German Paper, Zur Psychophysik des Geschmackssinnes by Hanig. The tongue map wasnt been challenge until a scientist, Virginia Collings, re-examined the work of Hanig. With the research of Collings, she found out that all taste can be detected in every taste receptorsaround the tongue, on the soft palate, back roof of the mouth, epiglottis, and the flap that blocks food from windpipe. The mistranslation of the paper shows that each part of the tongue tastes exactly one basic taste. In reality, all qualities of taste can be elicited from all the regions of the tongue that contain taste buds. At present, we have no evidence that any kind of spatial segregation of sensitivities contributes to the neural representation of taste quality. (Scientific American,2013) To conclude, the taste map presented is a complete myth. Your 3rd grade teacher which made you memorize each zones wasnt worth the time! Still, some people still think of this tongue map as entirely true. Now it is our duty to educate the people to let them know that this common idea is not true. The tongues sensitivity to taste is across its whole.

    References:

    Hiskey, Daven. (2010, May 11). The Tongue Doesnt Have Zones For Different Taste. Today I Found Out. Retrieved June 23, 2013, from http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/05/the-tongue-doesnt-have-zones-for-differenttastes/ The Taste Map: All Wrong [Preview], (2001). Scientific American. Retrieved June 23, 2013, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-taste-map-all-wrong Warren, Stephanie (2010, May 21). Tongue Maps Are A Myth: How Taste Really Works. Vintage Cellars. Retrieved June 23, 2013, from http://blog.vintagecellars.com/2010/05/tongue-map-myth/ Wanjek, Christopher (2006, August 29). The Tongue Map: Tasteless Myth Debunked. Live Science. Retrieved June 23, 2013, from http://www.livescience.com/7113-tongue-map-tasteless-myth-debunked.html

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