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)

Missouri hid own Covid study after it found mask mandates saved lives

Mask mandates saved lives, according to a study conducted by Missouri's health department. This was not the outcome that governor Mike Parson wanted, so the study was buried. The Missouri Independent forced them to reveal it with a Freedom of Information Act filing. The study compared infection and death rates in St. Louis, St. Louis… READ THE REST
Journal of Universal Rejection

The Journal of Universal Rejection is the most exclusive periodical of them all: it accepts nothing. Founder Caleb Emmons elaborates: The founding principle of the Journal of Universal Rejection (JofUR) is rejection. Universal rejection. That is to say, all submissions, regardless of quality, will be rejected. Despite that apparent drawback, here are a number of… READ THE REST
Beautiful time-lapse video of the longest partial lunar eclipse in 600 years

Early Friday morning, the Moon moved through the Earth's shadow to create the longest lunar eclipse in almost 600 years. During this near-total eclipse, 97% of the Moon went dark. The Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles captured the three and a half hour event and sped it up into the lovely one minute video above. READ THE REST
Give the gift of curiosity this holiday with over $125 off this DIY Coding kit

We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. With their unbridled enthusiasm and fresh look at the world, children are natural problem solvers. Their curiosity is one of their most endearing (and sometimes annoying) qualities, but that curiosity has… READ THE REST
Get 5 years of PlayStation Plus at a discount this Cyber Week

We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Any modern-day gamer knows that the only way to properly get the most out of your console is to have access to its premium online subscription service. With these services, you… READ THE REST
Enjoy better focus and efficiency at work this Cyber Week with 40% off on WiredVibe

We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Have you always wished you could be more productive? It's hard enough to find the hours in a day to accomplish everything we need to, but losing time to inefficiency and… READ THE REST