Biohack: Are You a Supertaster? Take the test…

Years ago I attended a talk by Cory Doctorow where he was telling a story about how the late Aaron Swartz discovered that he was a supertaster. Cory had recognized it right away by Aaron’s preference for white bland food. Do you think you are particularly sensitive sweet, salty or bitter foods?

Via The Guardian:

The term “supertaster” was coined in the 1990s by Linda Bartoshuk of Yale University, after she found that some people reported a bitter aftertaste to saccharin. She discovered that the tongues of supertasters were densely populated with papillae, and that they also found PROP bitter. The term caught on among scientists, and stuck.

Take the test:

  • Apply blue dye to your tongue
  • Place a ring binder re-enforcer on your tongue
  • Count the dots (papillae) within the ring binder
  • <15 non-taster / 15-35 average taster / >35 super-taster


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