Every human has five senses; vision, touch, smell, hearing and taste. These five senses can interact directly with the brain to help humans live their lives. Without the five senses, every human being will have difficulty in carrying out his/her daily activities.

As we know, the sense of smell is located inside the nose, while the taste buds can be found inside the tongue. However, a recent study conducted by the Monell Chemical Senses Center found that besides tasting, the tongue can also smell. In their research, the researchers found that the tongue has molecules that can also be found in the olfactory nerve.

The olfactory nerve is a nerve that can receive odour stimulation from outside the nose. This nerve plays a role in continuing the stimulation to the brain. However, in this study, the researchers indicated that the five flavour of foods (salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami) did not integrate with the brain, but with olfactory receptors on the tongue.

The discovery of olfactory receptors and taste receptors in one cell, of course, can provide new opportunities for experts in studying the interactions of these two receptors, especially in terms of health. The researchers further explained that the discovery could be developed in modifying odour-based flavours that could help overcome some disease problems related to unhealthy diets, including obesity and diabetes.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Getty Images

Source(s):

• Malik, B., Elkaddi, N., Turkistani J., et all (2019). Mammalian Taste Cells Express IDFUnctional Olfactory Receptors. Chemical Senses, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjz019
• Science Daily - Smelling with your tongue (2019). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190424083405.htm, May 7, 2019.
• Medical News Today - Does it have a sense of smell? (2019). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325037.php, May 7, 2019.