tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008122866340502585.post878109056935440705..comments2024-03-24T05:50:07.033-07:00Comments on Biologizing: WHY CATS, OTHER CARNIVORES DONT TASTE SWEETSPeter Houlihanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961900865379520219noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008122866340502585.post-41432487692835807992012-03-19T23:06:44.645-07:002012-03-19T23:06:44.645-07:00So many new and interesting things that I've l...So many new and interesting things that I've learned in this article. Fascinating to know that carnivores and cats can't taste sweet and some don't even chew their food!What caused the genetic mutation to occur, which makes these species unable to taste sweet? Is it because they hardly ate something sweet therefore the body evolved to disable the species from tasting sweet? And why only sweet? Is there other species that might not be able to perceive other tastes?<br /><br /><br />-Hermann KamPeter Houlihanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961900865379520219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008122866340502585.post-38032065536320277762012-03-14T16:31:19.459-07:002012-03-14T16:31:19.459-07:00I have to say, sometimes I wish I didn't have ...I have to say, sometimes I wish I didn't have the ability to taste sweets! Then eating a salad would be just as enjoyable as an ice cream and I could successfully diet! But alas, the enjoyment of eating for purposes other than just sustenance is something that makes us uniquely human, and as Jeff said, stems from our need to take in ample calories to survive. I wonder, though, with the access that many humans now have to a vast array of high calorie foods without having to hunt and forage for it, will we see an evolutionary change in the foods that we taste and crave in the next few hundred or thousand years? <br /><br /><br />Posted by Laura MoroLaura Morohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07226549672907413362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9008122866340502585.post-85456411861013377532012-03-13T19:50:58.058-07:002012-03-13T19:50:58.058-07:00It is interesting to note that omnivores were the ...It is interesting to note that omnivores were the only type of being that had the receptors for sweetness. Among these animals would be pigs, monkeys, bears, and of course humans. Many of these animals rely on build ups of fat for the storage of energy such as bears, who hibernate and require large amounts of fat prior to. The ability to taste carbohydrates is an incredible benefit for omnivores that would need to build up fat and store energy. This way they could tell if something they were eating were more beneficial to consume than something else. This can be seen in ice cream versus salad. Ice cream has multifold the calories of salad, which proves to be a better source of fuel.<br /><br />- Jeff Keating (2)Peter Houlihanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961900865379520219noreply@blogger.com