Book 10, Question 96
Why Do Some Nerves Sense Cold and Others Sense Heat?
Some nerves sense cold and others sense heat because your skin and mouth have different receptors for each. Cold receptors wake up when things cool down, and heat receptors wake up when things warm up. They send separate messages to your brain.
More fun facts
- David Julius shared the 2021 Nobel Prize for finding TRPV1, a protein that lets us feel the heat of chili peppers.
- Menthol, the cool tasting chemical in mint, switches on the same nerves that sense cold.
- When a cold sensing protein opens, it lets in charged particles that make the nerve send a cold signal to the brain.
- The brain blends signals from cold and warm sensors instead of reading them separately.
- Cold sensors may help warn the brain about harmful temperatures at both hot and cold extremes.
Sources: Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American
Questions kids ask
Why does mint feel cool?
Menthol in mint switches on your cold sensing nerves, even though nothing is actually cold.