Two students studying physiology taste a known "bitter" substance, and both report sensing bitterness. They then sample another substance. Student A reports sensing both a bitter taste and a salty taste, but student B reports only a salty taste. What is the most logical explanation?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that both students tasted bitterness in the first substance suggests that they both have functioning bitter taste receptors. However, the fact that student A tasted both bitter and salty flavors in the second substance suggests that they have receptors for both types of taste. Meanwhile, student B only tasted salty, which suggests that they lack the ability to detect bitterness in that particular substance. This suggests that student A has a protein receptor capable of detecting the bitter molecule found in that substance, whereas student B lacks that particular protein receptor.

Two Students Studying Physiology Taste a Known "Bitter" Substance, and Both