Test Your Tongue! The Science of Taste
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The fourth event in the Science of the Five Senses Series, a 5-part series of live events designed to convey to scientists and nonscientists alike the state-of-the-art scientific knowledge about how humans perceive our environment, through presentations that integrate science and art.
At this event, a leading expert in taste and a popular food writer look at our understanding of the science of taste and the chemical underpinnings of flavors and foods. Learn about your own tastebuds by sampling miracle fruit, artichokes, fruit strips, and more!
Linda Bartoshuk is an internationally known researcher in the chemical senses of taste and smell and Director of Human Research at the University of Florida Center for Smell and Taste. She joined the University of Florida faculty as a visiting professor in the College of Public Health and Health Professions in 2005 from Yale University. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. Her research explores the genetic variations in taste perception and how taste perception affects overall health.
Harold McGee is a New York Times columnist and food science guru whose books include On Food & Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen; The Curious Cook: More Kitchen Science and Lore. He started out studying physics and astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, and then English literature at Yale University. In 1984 he published On Food and Cooking. Twenty years later, the revised and enlarged edition was named best food reference of 2004 by the IACP and the James Beard Foundation. In 2005, Bon Appétit magazine named McGee food writer of the year. In 2008, Time Magazine named him to its annual list of the world's most influential people. He writes a monthly column, "The Curious Cook," for The New York Times.
Support for this event is being provided by Whole Foods Market, Tribeca and Miracle Fruit Man.