Flipping the switch on food choice
A hungry fly lands on a pile of edible goop and begins to eat. Suddenly, a green light appears in this controlled environment. What was previously just boring old slop is now deliciously sweet, and the fly eats with renewed vigor. Once the light disappears, the food returns to its original flavor.
“The fly’s experience was very real. It was a virtual taste created by directly manipulating its taste neurons,” said Carlos Ribeiro, head of the behavior and metabolism lab at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Lisbon, Portugal.
Scientists were able to change...Read full article
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Published: September 2019