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Unit 19: Biology Part 2
what you are smelling. The nose is
able to detect thousands of
different odors.
The foods you eat also contain
chemicals, and these chemicals are
sensed by sensory neurons on your
tongue. These neurons are
organized into groups called taste
buds.
There are five types of taste buds
on the tongue, and each one
senses a different type of taste.
You have taste buds for sweet,
salty, sour, bitter, and umami (a
meaty taste) each in a different
spot on the tongue. Just like with
the other sense organs, when the
tongue’s sensory neurons get
information, they pass it on to the
brain. The brain is then able to
determine what you are tasting.
Notice that we spoke about five
different tastes, as opposed to
thousands of odors, and nearly
limitless textures, sights, and
sounds. Taste is our weakest
sense.
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Figure 63 – Taste buds are
found in clusters on the tongue.
You may have noticed that in
general, kids are not as into foods
with strong flavors as adults. Much
of the reason for this has to do
with taste buds.
In babies, taste buds just are
found not just on the tongue but all
over the mouth. As you get older,
taste buds become a little weaker,
and are only found on the tongue.
As your taste buds change, so do
your likes and dislikes in food.
With less sensitive taste buds, you
may be interested in trying
something more adventurous that
you would have eaten as a young
child.
Keeping the Nervous
System Healthy
Think about all the things the
nervous system does. It not only
controls the senses, but also
controls feeling, thinking, moving,
and just about everything else we
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