MUSE Magazine March-April 2025. Chemicals can be found everywhere: in our food and medicines, in the air we breathe and products we buy. Hear how molecules affect health, find out how developing AI models are capable of smelling, and learn how to make your own soap and bread with MUSE!
We’ve all eaten food that was delicious enough to half-fool us into thinking it was made by magic. But the secret to tasty food—or disgusting food, for that matter—isn’t magic. It’s chemistry! You probably learned about tastebuds as a small child, but did you know that they include receptors that send chemical signals to the brain? Scientists have even learned how to alter the aroma molecules of fruits, called “volatiles,” to make them taste sweeter. Taste and smell happens at the molecular level, and so does cooking. Meet a real food chemist who helps packaged food taste better, then discover the chemical process that transforms flour into scrumptious loaves of bread!
You might think that the five senses only belong to humans and other animals. Robots can’t smell or taste—can they? Dive into a fascinating article exploring how researchers are training AIs to smell for health, safety, and shopping! Some doctors think digitizing smell can even change the way we practice medicine.
Plus, separate the dyes in your favorite candies, make your own soap, find out if you’re a supertaster, and so much more! This combination of cutting-edge science and wacky humor is a winning formula!
Enjoy features including:
· “A Matter of Taste” by Jeanne Miller
· “A Whiff of the Future” by Sarah Gottlieb
· “The Air Around Us” by Emily Floess
· “Making Medicine” by Grazyna Söderbom
· “The Magical Transformation of Bread” by Marcus Woo
Regular features include Parallel U, Muse Mail, Muse News, Science @ Work, Do the Math, Your Tech, Q&A, Hands On, Contest, and Last Slice.
