UCSF's Julius Explains to NPR How the Body Detects Cold and Feels Pain

NPR's All Things Considered reports that "[m]int feels cool and soothing. The heat of chili peppers or wasabi can make you cry. Now, scientists at the University of California, San Francisco have figured out the connection between taste and temperature." David Julius, PhD, chair of the department of physiology at UCSF, talks to NPR's Debbie Elliott about his findings, reported online in the journal Nature. Julius and researchers from Yale and the University of Wisconsin discovered that protein receptors at the end of nerve cells reacted to foods that mimic heat and cold the same way they responded to actual temperature changes.

The Menthol Receptor TRPM8 Is the Principal Detector of Environmental Cold Diana M. Bautista, Jan Siemens, Joshua M. Glazer, Pamela R. Tsuruda, Allan I. Basbaum, Cheryl L. Stucky, Sven-Eric Jordt and David Julius Nature, advance online publication May 30, 2007 Abstract | Full Text | Full Text (PDF)

Related Links: Scientists Connect Taste and Temperature All Things Considered, NPR, June 2, 2007 Detecting Cold, Feeling Pain: Study Reveals Why Menthol Feels Fresh UCSF News Release, May 30, 2007 Julius Wins Two Major Science Prizes UCSF Today, May 29, 2007 Julius Lab