Lesson 6

Question 1

Olfactory receptor

Answer 1

The air we breathe in, reaches the olfactory receptor cells located at the top of the nasal cavity.
-The receptors relay this information to your brain through your olfactory nerve and allow you to perceive smell.

Question 2

Thalamus

Answer 2

Your body’s information relay station.
- All information from your body’s senses (except smell) must be processed through your thalamus before being sent to your brain’s cerebral cortex for interpretation
- All of the senses except olfaction…

Question 3

Pheromones

Answer 3

Chemical messengers that are secreted from other mammals.
- Most common = sex pheromones which signal mating behaviours.
- Some research has shown that men prefer the smell of ovulating womens sweat, whereas women prefer the smell of heightened testosterone in males.

Question 4

Gustation

Answer 4

The sense of taste
- The perception of different flavors through the taste buds on our tongue .

Question 5

Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami, oleogustus

Answer 5

The types of taste
- Taste serves an evolutionary purpose
Pleasureful tastes attracted our ancestors to energy or protein rich foods that enable survival whereas adversive tastes deterred them from foods that were possibly toxic

Question 6

Taste receptors

Answer 6

• Inside each bump on your tongue are 200+ taste buds or taste receptors
• These sense food molecules and respond differently according to the 6 different taste sensations.

Question 7

Supertasters

Answer 7

People with more taste buds than average = can experience more intense tastes

Question 8

Medium tasters

Answer 8

Most people fall into this category, having a moderate number of taste buds.

Question 9

Nontasters

Answer 9

Lower-than average tasters
- They have fewer taste buds and a reduced sensitivity to tastes, especially bitterness.