Tidbits & Oddities

VIDEO FEED Soldiers read to their kids back home.

Cats can't taste Sweet

Each human taste bud is comprised of 50 to 100 receptor cells representing the five major taste sensations: salty, sour, sweet, bitter and umami, the taste of the food additive MSG and fermented soy products, among other foods. Most mammals' sweet receptors are created by two proteins, one of which cats are missing."

Stressed worms die sooner by not using coping methods

"They genetically engineered the little transparent worms to carry a jellyfish gene called green fluorescent protein, which glows green under certain light. They tagged this gene to a gene called hsp-16.2, a stress protein found in most organisms that is associated with the health of cells.The more active the hsp-16.2 gene was, the brighter the worms glowed green and, presumably, the better they coped with stress."