Your entire future depends on this exam. Score high, and you'll get into the college of your dreams. Score low, and … well, it's best not to think about that right now. And yet it's all you can think about. As the clock ticks and those around you scribble hard with their pencils, you stare at the test and your mind goes blank. You're choking.

Taste receptors for bitter substances are not only in the mouth, but also in the lung. Here they can help in the future according to its discoverer in the treatment of asthma. The newly discovered taste cells sit on the smooth muscle of the bronchi. These muscles control the breathing through regular contraction and relaxation. In asthma patients, the muscle pulls but together so that they will restrict air flow - gasp the parties concerned and are short of breath. When inhaled substances can counteract the bitter: The taste receptors send a signal and the smooth muscles relax. The asthma patient can breathe deeply again.