# Did my old science book come from the FUTURE? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 29, 2005, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774 "2005-07-29T17:11:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/21 "2005-07-29T21:56:08Z")
_sigh_ (hit submit too soon) I think it’s because she’ll eat anything that’s people food-doesn’t matter what it is. When it comes to cat food though, she’s picky as all hell. ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/22 "2005-07-29T23:23:51Z")
> [@Maus Magill](#): > > Another thing they mentioned in the NPR story was that cats could probably taste things that we cannot. I’ve always believed that “color-blind” animals can see colors we cannot see. Not to mention that they can often smell smells we cannot smell. Actually, I have the same experiences where I read or hear about a given topic, only to find out about it months or years later through popular news. For example, just before our first child was born 14 years ago, I read an article saying that putting pabies on their tummy greatly increased the risk of SIDS. We used roll-up hand towels to keep our daughter on her side or back when she was asleep, but everyone we knew pretty much poo-pooed the idea. Three years later, just before our second child was born, this was headline news, and everyone kept telling me over and over that I should make sure he was on his side or his back when he was asleep. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/23 "2005-07-29T23:29:18Z")
> [@flight](#): > > In everything but pure sugar there are many other flavors preent other than sweet. I have a friend who is a food scientist and brought an herb to a party once (no not that kind of herb). When mixed with water and swished in your mouth it would COMPLETELY block all your sweet receptors. Sugar tasted like nothing. It was like eating disolving sand, but candy and other normally sweet things showed a great deal of other flavors, and a surpising amount of sour and bitter that are normally masked. What is the name of this herb, and where can I buy it? ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/24 "2005-07-30T00:03:33Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Cats can most certainly taste sweet. Especially if you use the proper glaze. > > ducks & runs I tried making that glaze. I thought it would be just ducky, but it came out too runny. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/25 "2005-07-30T04:43:02Z")
> [@Maus Magill](#): > > Another thing they mentioned in the NPR story was that cats could probably taste things that we cannot. Like their asses. Okay, technically I _can_ taste it… ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/26 "2005-07-30T16:09:07Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Your name is Inigo Montoya, you ate my cat, prepare to die! 😃 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/27 "2005-07-30T16:22:10Z")
> [@AerynSun](#): > > FWIW, I found the book on Amazon. Appropriately enough, it’s called _The Science Book_, by Sara Bonnett Stein. The book is _kewl_. And it is full of interesting information - like how the left side of the face looks different from the right, how to play with a toddler, how does electric circuits work and etc. I pick it up from a library before. ---
**Author:** ![Bewildebeest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bewildebeest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bewildebeest)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/28 "2005-07-30T16:26:44Z")
> [@flight](#): > > …I have a friend who is a food scientist and brought an herb to a party once (no not that kind of herb). When mixed with water and swished in your mouth it would COMPLETELY block all your sweet receptors. Sugar tasted like nothing. It was like eating disolving sand, but candy and other normally sweet things showed a great deal of other flavors, and a surpising amount of sour and bitter that are normally masked… I don’t know what herb that is, but there is a fruit called miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) that makes sour stuff taste sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Sgt.Pepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Sgt.Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sgt.Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/29 "2005-07-30T17:13:49Z")
In googling that sweet blocking herb, it appears that it’s Gymnema Sylvestre, from [this site.](http://www.kedia.com/herbal/gurmar.html). Now I’ll have to google more to see if it’s possible to get some. That would be pretty funky to try. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/30 "2005-07-30T17:34:17Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > Huh. If cats can’t taste sweet, how does my cat tell the difference between a croissant and a donut and find the one to lick all the sugar off of? He also goes absolutely insane for frosting of any sort. > > I’m stymied now. :dubious: We once had a cat who loved cake. One time my wife forgot and was scraping the cake pan into the garbage bag and the cat was in there head first getting his. I don’t question their analysis of genes, chromosomes, receptor, etc. but I do question how they know what the cat tastes. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/31 "2005-07-30T17:34:44Z")
> [@Bewildebeest](#): > > I don’t know what herb that is, but there is a fruit called miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) that makes sour stuff taste sweet. But why would you _do_ that? Mmmm, sour. ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/32 "2005-07-31T06:17:34Z")
**Mmmm, sour.** Then you would _love_ miracle fruit. It preforms its “miracle” by being so eye-crossingly,sphinter puckering sour that _anything_ you chase it with seems sweet. ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/33 "2005-07-31T06:29:01Z")
Damn, apparently there are two fruits called “miracle” round these parts. The one **Bewildebeest** refered to uses a protein to accomplish it’s mircle. Just goes to show kiddies, google first post second. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/34 "2005-07-31T17:10:12Z")
> [@EvilGhandi](#): > > **Mmmm, sour.** > > Then you would _love_ miracle fruit. It preforms its “miracle” by being so eye-crossingly,sphinter puckering sour that _anything_ you chase it with seems sweet. Yeah, baby. Bring it on. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774/35 "2005-08-02T19:43:46Z")
> [@Sgt.Pepper](#): > > In googling that sweet blocking herb, it appears that it’s Gymnema Sylvestre, from [this site.](http://www.kedia.com/herbal/gurmar.html). Now I’ll have to google more to see if it’s possible to get some. That would be pretty funky to try. Yes, I just got a reply from the friend who introduced me to this, and they confirm that this was the herb. They state: > [@My Friend](#): > > The sweet blocker herb is Gymnema Sylvestre. It is a woody climbing plant, growing over the tops of high trees in large parts of southern India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and tropical Africa. It was used in India for treatment of diabetes mellitus. Gymnema Sylvestre blocks the sweet receptors when put in the mouth, sweetness is temporarily not perceived. The lack of sweet perception lasts several minutes. > > I got it from my on-line class, Foundations of sensory science, taught by Dr. Howard Schutz (University of California, Davis, University Extension). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-my-old-science-book-come-from-the-future/314774.md?page=1)