Researchers are finally making headway in understanding how the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus causes loss of smell. And a multitude of potential treatments to tackle the condition are undergoing clinical trials, including steroids and blood plasma. Once a tell-tale sign of COVID-19, smell disruption is becoming less common...
One of the most mysterious symptoms of Covid-19 is the loss of taste and smell. Not all people who come down with the illness experience this phenomenon. But those who do can lose their ability to taste and smell for months at a time. Some...
It's said that the man who discovered umami realized he was consuming a unique taste while eating a bowl of kelp broth. We can only hope that the next great discovery comes to us over our own breakfast, but frankly, we're still working on truly understanding...
I hate fish. All fish. Yes, even crab. Yes, shrimp, too. (Actually, especially shrimp. Why do fish lovers always ask, “Even shrimp?”) Flounder. Salmon. I HATE FISH — get it? And I’m the only one. In all my big, happy family, only I don’t salivate...
In 1980, a candy company launched a new gum aimed at kids. Big League Chew sold a pouch of shredded gum that was meant to resemble chewing tobacco. It came in original flavor, grape and sour apple. Big League Chew was just one of many sweet...
Smell is a powerful and important sense that can transport us back in time to our favorite memories, keep us healthy and make meals taste delicious. But it’s often forgotten, under-appreciated, and still has lots of room for scientific exploration. Why do we have favorite...
More than two years into this pandemic, we finally have an antiviral treatment that works pretty darn well. Paxlovid cuts a vulnerable adult’s chances of hospitalization or death from COVID by nearly 90 percent if taken in the first few days of an infection. For...
The majority of people infected in 2020 and 2021 lost their smell, regardless of how sick the coronavirus made them. That began to change with the delta variant that moved into the United States last summer and took over by the fall. Between 15-50% of people...
Dustin was ready. He took the magic mushrooms — procured with the help of a tattoo artist friend — ground them up, and mixed them with lemon juice, before throwing it all back in a single gulp. Then he put on some sunglasses, strapped on his...
A 1989 short letter in The Lancet describes a woman who became aware of a suspicious mole on her leg after her dog began sniffing at it daily and eventually tried to bite it off.1 The dog likely saved her life, as doctors then identified...