Scientists have long know that sourness is a warning: from the tartness of unripe fruit to the repulsiveness of curdled milk. But how the tongue and brain work together to tell us that certain things are sour has been a mystery. Postdoctoral Research Scientist Jin Zhang, PhD, recently revealed the cells that make sour taste possible and showed that these cells are distinct from those involved in sweet, bitter, salty and umami tastes.

Her research at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute, done in the lab of Charles Zuker, PhD, was published in the journal Cell.

This video is part of Curious Minds, a video series highlighting students and early-career scientists at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute.

Footage of babies courtesy of April Maciborka and David Wile.