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So, How Do You Know If You're a Supertaster?

Do you taste with more intensity than the average person?

A new video from SciShow shows exactly how to tell if you're a supertaster — a rare condition in which a person can taste the five main tastes (sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami) with more intensity than the average person. There's even a way to test your own tongue in the video, above.

Fun facts:

  • Supertasters were discovered after an accident in a lab in 1931
  • The supertaster gene is a dominant gene, meaning only one parent needs to have it for it to be passed to the next generation
  • Supertasters don't just taste more intensely than other people, they also can detect bitter tastes that others cannot

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