The Sweetest Thing
Summary
Reporter Latif Nasser explores the science of sweetness, starting with a ranking of the world’s sweetest substances, from honey to the artificial sweetener lugdunum. He consults experts on how smell, color, and sound influence perceived sweetness, and visits a neurobiologist who uses lasers to stimulate sweet receptors in mice. The episode concludes with the discovery of a sugar molecule in interstellar dust, suggesting space might taste like raspberries.
Topics discussed
Sponsors and introduction to the episode
The origin story: kids asking about the sweetest thing
Defining the quest: from substance to human experience
Scientific ranking of sweeteners from honey to lugdunum
Tasting experiment: why high-potency sweeteners taste bad
The flaw in potency: off-flavors and bitter receptors
Potency vs. intensity: the dimmer switch of sweetness
Why sugar is evolutionarily the 'perfect' sweet taste
Transition to uncharted sweetness territory
Sponsor breaks and Sporkful introduction
Resuming the hunt: comparing strawberry and blueberry
How smell and vision enhance the perception of sweetness
Live experiment: adding color, flavor, and sound to honey
Neuroscience: mapping the sweet signal in the brain
Optogenetics: using lasers to create artificial sweetness
Reflections on internal vs. external sources of pleasure
Discovery of sugar in interstellar space dust
Conclusion and acknowledgments
Credits and Latif Nasser's medical leave announcement
Staff credits and final sponsor reads
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