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Nature 416, 136 (14 February 2002) | doi:10.1038/416136b

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Neurobiology: The bitter-sweet taste of amino acids

Lesley Anson

Amino acids are essential for life: they form the building blocks of the proteins that our genetic code encrypts. And thanks to nature's ingenuity, mammals have evolved a partiality for the flavour of these crucial components; some taste bitter, others sweet and some simply delicious, or 'umami' — a taste that is associated in Western countries with Chinese takeaway meals.