Eli5 why do we have tastebuds?

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Do they serve a purpose beyond letting us know if we enjoy eating something?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

they serve a very important survival purpose for us actually. It helps us determine what’s in the food we are eating and if its harmful to us or just not worth the time.

for example we tend to like the taste of sweet and salty. in the wild, sweet usually means high in sugars, which means its a good source of energy, and salt is a vital mineral that wild animals often do not have in abundance unlike our modern society. a food item thats naturally salty would be highly sought after.

meanwhile we avoid the taste of bitterness because bitter usually means at the very best its probably low in sugars, or may be poisonous as many toxins have a bitter taste. similarly sour is a taste that is best approached with caution in the wild, because some spoiled foods may turn sour in taste and some toxins have a sour taste to them.

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