How Szechuan peppers numb your lips

David Pescovitz 10:31 am Wed Sep 11, 2013

What is it about eating Szechuan peppers that causes the lasting tingling or numbness in your mouth and lips after the burn has subsided? Sure, Capsaicin produces the burning sensation that delights hot sauce connoisseurs but there's another process at play when it comes to Szechuan peppers.

New research shows that a molecule in the Szechuan pepper, Hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, excites a certain type of tactile sensor in our skin in a way that feels like the sensors have been vibrated very quickly. University College London researchers explored this strange phenomena by brushing volunteers' lips with both ground Szechuan peppers and later a vibrating metal tool to match the level of numbness caused by the pepper. By identifying the frequency of the numbing sensation, the scientists determined that the high-sensitivity Meissner receptors in the skin were the ones fired up by the Szechuan peppers.

"Why Szechuan Peppers Make Your Lips Go Numb" (Smithsonian)

Building the world's biggest and deepest swimming pool… for science!

The Blue Abyss is a deep sea and space research training facility that will be constructed near the Cornwall Airport Newquay in England. Holding nearly 1.5 million cubic feet of water, the Blue Abyss will be the world's largest and deepest swimming pool of its kind. Unfortunately, it's unlikely most of us will have a… READ THE REST
This animal was revived after being frozen for 24,000 years

This is a bdelloid rotifer, a common microscopic animal that lives in freshwater all over the world. But the one seen here is unique in that it was frozen in Arctic permafrost for 24,000 years and just revived by scientists. Once thawed, the rotifer was able to feed and reproduce. The Russian researchers had collected… READ THE REST
People can learn to echolocate like bats in just ten weeks

We've posted several times about how people who are blind who have learned how to "see" and navigate the world using echolocation like bats, shrews, and whales. The skill involves making loud clicking noises with the tongue and then listening for the echo to judge not only distance but sometimes even determine the material of an object. New research… READ THE REST
17 apps, software, streaming services, and more on sale for this weekend only

For all their everything-ness, there are still some areas where even the great and powerful Amazon isn't all that. Sure, you can find just about any physical item being sold in the depths of Amazon product pages somewhere, but when it comes to software and apps, well, that's an area where the eCommerce giant mostly steers… READ THE REST
Amazon can't beat the prices on these killer portable monitors

There's only so much squinting you can do at a tiny smartphone screen before you start wondering why we ever thought it was a good idea to build devices so small in the first place. Sure, portability is a plus, but when you're trying to watch videos on your phone, that itty-bitty baby screen won't… READ THE REST
The AquaSprouts Garden is a fascinating, self-contained world, and it can even make you salad

It's not often that life comes into such extreme focus that you can see it all playing out right in front of your eyes. And it certainly doesn't happen often right on your desktop. Or on a window sill. Or perched on your coffee table. Yet, that's the joy of the AquaSprouts Garden. Wired called… READ THE REST