We Don’t Have Taste Zones On Our Tongue
Do you remember coloring in the different “taste zones” on a picture of a tongue in school? It turns out that’s just a myth. Chemosensory scientists, or the scientists who study organs that respond to stimuli, discovered that taste sensors are distributed all over our tongues. We don’t have a section for salty, sweet, or sour. Our tongue does have certain areas that are more prone to picking up certain tastes, but these differences are minute. In 1901, scientist David P Hänig made this discovery, but the way he presented his findings changed the course of tongue history. Apparently, “it was more of an artistic interpretation of his measurements than an accurate representation of them. And that made it look as though different parts of the tongue were responsible for different tastes, rather than showing that some parts of the tongue were slightly more sensitive to certain tastes than others.” Because of this grave error, our science school teachers wrongly taught us about the tongue (Pinkie Toe).