Can you taste something that other people cannot? Some chemicals trigger a strong bitter flavor for certain people. Others taste nothing at all. This difference is genetic.
You test four paper strips one at a time:
- PTC (phenylthiocarbamide)
- sodium benzoate
- thiourea
- a control strip
You record what each strip tastes like. Then you take extra sets home and test family members the same way.
Once you collect the results, you graph how many people are tasters versus non-tasters. You can build a Punnett square from the family data to predict whether the taster trait is dominant.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that people have genetically inherited tasting abilities.
The ability to taste PTC is genetic — some people experience a strong bitter flavor, while others taste nothing at all. Some traits show up and others stay hidden. You can test family members and use a Punnett square to predict whether the taster trait is dominant.
Some traits you inherit stay hidden until a test reveals them. The ability to taste certain chemicals is one of those traits — you either detect a strong bitter flavor on PTC paper or you taste nothing at all. When you test family members and graph tasters versus non-tasters, a Punnett square lets you trace how this trait passes from parents to children.
Whether you taste certain chemicals comes down to which gene version you carry. Some people have a version that makes PTC paper taste intensely bitter. Others carry a different version and taste nothing at all. You can test family members and graph how many are tasters versus non-tasters.
Some chemicals taste intensely bitter to certain people and like nothing at all to others. That difference is genetic. You test PTC paper, sodium benzoate, thiourea, and a control strip, recording what each tastes like. Then you take extra sets home and test family members the same way. Once you collect the results, a Punnett square built from the family data lets you predict whether the taster trait is dominant.
Method & Materials
You will distribute taste papers to yourself and family members, record the results, and graph the data.
You will need PTC Taste Paper, Sodium Benzoate Taste Paper, Thiourea Taste Paper, Control Taste Paper, paper cups of water, notebook paper, pencils, and envelopes.
Eureka Crate — engineering & invention kits for ages 12+ — monthly projects that build real-world skills. (Affiliate link)
After testing yourself and your family members, you can use the data to predict which trait (taster or non-taster) is dominant in your family and in the general population. You may also observe that certain traits, such as obesity, may be linked to being a taster or a non-taster.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting and unique because it involves the whole family in the process of determining whether an individual can be classified as a taster or a non-taster.
Also Consider
Experiment variations to consider include constructing a Punnett Square using the information collected from parents, and testing to see if people who tend to be overweight are tasters, or if thinner people are non-tasters.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.
