Science Smarts: Smell and taste, two peas in a pod

By Patty Rooks on November 16, 2024.

It is that time of the year – I think everyone I know has a cold! Let this be your warning, wash your hands please. Did you know a bad cold not only ruins your sense of smell, but also your appetite? This is partly due to you not being able to smell your food. We rarely think about it, but our sense of smell and taste do work together. Hmm, how does that work? Let’s get started!

*Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment.

Materials

– Raw apple

– Raw potato peeled

– Two small bowls

– Masking tape

– Marker

– Grater

– Helper

– Blindfold

Procedure

1. Label the bowls using the masking tape and marker. One potato and one apple.

2. Grate a small amount of each into the proper labelled bowl.

3. Have your helper blindfold you. This is so you cannot see what is in each bowl.

4. The helper will now mix up the bowls so you do not know which one is which.

5. Hold your nose so you cannot smell.

6. Take a small amount from each bowl and taste it.

7. Can you tell what it is? Apple or potato?

8. Repeat, this time DO NOT hold your nose.

Explanation

The sense of smell and sense of taste work hand in hand. Your nose and mouth share the same air passage; the pharynx. The pharynx is a cavity at the back of the mouth where the oral and nasal cavities meet. When you smell something the odor also helps you distinguish what the food is. Of course, your taste buds on your tongue also assist in helping you determine what the food is.

When you have a cold, you are all stuffed up and your ability to smell/tell different odours apart is greatly diminished, which also makes your sense of taste diminish also.

Just a reminder do not forget about booking your hands on learning kits, or your Science Experience 101 support for Science Fair with Praxis as soon as possible. We look forward to helping you out with all of your science needs this school year!

Patty Rooks, senior scientific consultant PRAXIS, “Connecting Science To The Community.” Contact Praxis at praxis@praxismh.ca, http://www.praxismh.ca, Tweet or follow us @PraxisMedHat, or friend us on Facebook. Address: 12 826 11th Street SE, Medicine Hat, AB, T1A 1T7 Phone: 403-527-5365, email: praxis@praxismh.ca

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