ELi5: How do we remember taste of things from years ago? Do our taste buds have memory?
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Our sense of taste is closely linked to our sense of smell. When we eat something, our taste buds help us detect different flavors, but it is our sense of smell that provides most of the information about the food’s taste. When we smell something, the smell molecules travel through the air and enter our nose, where they are detected by specialized cells called olfactory cells. These cells send signals to the brain, which creates the sensation of smell.
When we remember the taste of something from years ago, it is usually because we are also remembering the smell of that food. Our olfactory cells have a very good memory, and they can recall the smells of many different foods and other substances. So, even if we haven’t tasted a particular food in a long time, we may still be able to remember what it tasted like by recalling its smell.
Taste buds themselves do not have the ability to remember flavors, but they do play a important role in helping us taste and enjoy food. Taste buds are tiny cells that are found on the surface of our tongue and other parts of the mouth. They are sensitive to different chemicals in the foods we eat, and they help us detect the basic tastes of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Taste buds are constantly renewing themselves, so they do not have a long-term memory. However, they do help us experience the flavor of the foods we eat in the moment.
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