Rate the Bitterness of These Foods

Lots of your physical features are controlled at least partially by your genes, including your eye color, your hair color, and your height. But what about things that you can’t see, such as the way you react to pain medication or whether you are color-blind? How do your genes factor into these unseen traits? And what about your sense of taste? You probably like some foods and dislike others. You may really love some things that taste bitter (such as coffee, olives, or bitter melon) or absolutely hate them. In this activity, you will explore your sense of taste and think about how your genes might influence this trait— starting with an inventory of how a variety of different foods taste to you.