domestic cats sweetness tuna umami taste

Cats cannot taste sweetness but strongly taste compounds in tuna

Domestic cats have a genetic change that prevents their sweet-taste receptors from responding normally to sugar. Tuna is different: cats can detect compounds in it that together produce a strong savory, or umami, taste.

A metal cage can shield you from an electric field

When an external electric field acts on a closed conducting shell, electric charges rearrange across its surface. Their movement cancels the field inside the enclosed space. This is the principle behind a Faraday cage—and part of why a car’s metal body can help protect its occupants during a lightning strike.

A desert beetle can harvest drinking water from fog

Some beetles living in Namibia's coastal desert collect moisture from fog. Water droplets condense on their bodies and can run toward their mouths when they adopt suitable postures. Scientists have studied these insects as inspiration for surfaces that capture water from the air, although the exact role of specialized surface patterns differs between species.

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domestic cats sweetness tuna umami taste

Cats cannot taste sweetness but strongly taste compounds in tuna

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