Babies will smile when they catch the scent of vanilla, but a whiff of
rotting meat will send them into fits. From people to mice and flies
to worms, animals of all kinds are born with likes and dislikes thanks
to the evolutionary wisdom collected in their genes. But new research
shows that some preferences are still surprisingly flexible at even
the most basic level — that of the sensory neuron itself — and that
our nervous system may be even more adaptable than we thought.
“When you’re out hiking, you’ll notice that everything tastes really
delicious. That’s one of the best parts about hiking, actually, is how
delicious a peanut butter and raisin sandwich can be,” says Cori
Bargmann, Torsten N. Wiesel Professor and head of the Laboratory of
Neural Circuits and Behavior at The Rockefeller University.
“Conversely, when you are ill, everything tastes bad; everything makes
you nauseous. The question is: What is changing to allow the same
individual to respond to the same stimulus in different ways?”
Dokorek
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