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At Medical Express: First direct evidence that babies react to taste and smell in the womb

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A study led by Durham University’s Fetal and Neonatal Research Lab, UK, took 4D ultrasound scans of 100 pregnant women to see how their unborn babies responded after being exposed to flavors from foods eaten by their mothers.

Researchers looked at how the fetuses reacted to either carrot or kale flavors just a short time after the flavors had been ingested by the mothers.

Fetuses exposed to carrot showed more “laughter-face” responses while those exposed to kale showed more “cry-face” responses.

First direct evidence that babies react to taste and smell in the womb
A 4D scan image of the same fetus (as in the laughter-face baseline image) showing a laughter-face reaction after being exposed to the carrot flavour. Credit: FETAP (Fetal Taste Preferences) Study, Fetal and Neonatal Research Lab, Durham University.

Their findings could further our understanding of the development of human taste and smell receptors.

The researchers also believe that what pregnant women eat might influence babies’ taste preferences after birth and potentially have implications for establishing healthy eating habits.

The study is published in the journal Psychological Science.

Humans experience flavor through a combination of taste and smell. In fetuses it is thought that this might happen through inhaling and swallowing the amniotic fluid in the womb.

Mothers were given a single capsule containing approximately 400mg of carrot or 400mg kale powder around 20 minutes before each scan. They were asked not to consume any food or flavored drinks one hour before their scans.

Facial reactions seen in both flavor groups, compared with fetuses in a control group who were not exposed to either flavor, showed that exposure to just a small amount of carrot or kale flavor was enough to stimulate a reaction.

“Previous research conducted in my lab has suggested that 4D ultrasound scans are a way of monitoring fetal reactions to understand how they respond to maternal health behaviors such as smoking, and their mental health including stress, depression, and anxiety.

“This latest study could have important implications for understanding the earliest evidence for fetal abilities to sense and discriminate different flavors and smells from the foods ingested by their mothers.”

The researchers say their findings might also help with information given to mothers about the importance of taste and healthy diets during pregnancy.

They have now begun a follow-up study with the same babies post-birth to see if the influence of flavors they experienced in the womb affects their acceptance of different foods.

Medical Express

These findings seem to support the conclusion that the unborn are alive and human. But does the flavor of carrots make you smile?

Comments
Jerry at 235, Another War on Poverty repackaged, with some radical elements.relatd
September 30, 2022
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Diversity, inclusion and equity.
Another site was discussing this earlier today. They said that universities and businesses really don’t believe in it. Because they exclude Republicans from their organizations. To correct this obvious non inclusion or lack of diversity and equity the author was pushing LGBTQR as the new mantra where the R stands for Republicans. Of course the DIE mandates have nothing to do with diversity, inclusion or equity. It’s all about a world government under a few selected and enlightened individuals.jerry
September 30, 2022
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Sure, you are free to do that. But you asked for a definition of TE, which is given in the articles I posted, and shows that one can accept, as a theist, the scientific description of the evolution of humans as physical beings (but not as spiritual beings). Do you accept that it is acceptable Catholic doctrine for one to adopt that view even if you don't, and do you see that TE is an acceptable Catholic position?Viola Lee
September 29, 2022
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VL, I'll stick with special creation for Adam and Eve.relatd
September 29, 2022
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On the thread at https://uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/at-evolution-news-did-life-first-arise-by-purely-natural-means/#comment-766264, post 60, I wrote to you, but you did not respond, so I'll repeat here. Post 60 Back at 43 relatd said I was confused, and that he would no longer reply to my posts, although he did reply once. The particular issue we are discussing is whether, according to Catholic doctrine, it is acceptable to believe that human beings, in respect to our physical bodies (but not our souls), are connected by common descent with previous existing creatures of human beings, as opposed to the alternative of special creation. In post 47 I analyzed a key passage from a 1996 document by the Pope that supports my contention that it is acceptable Catholic doctrine to accept the God-guided evolution of physical human beings as part of His all-encompassing providential role in causation. I’ve done some further research to support my position, which I offer here without much further comment. Relatd may not want to discuss this anymore, but I think I’ve established that I’m not confused. He may not agree with my analysis, nor with his fellow Catholics who support a position of what is commonly called theistic evolution, but I think I’ve shown that special creation is not the only acceptable Catholic position, and that theistic evolution is an acceptable Catholic position. 1. From the Catholic Exchange, A Brief Exploration of the Catholic Position on Evolution here John Paul II, in 1986, wrote,
”There are no difficulties in explaining the origin of man in regard to the body by means of the theory of evolution. According to the hypothesis mentioned it is possible that the human body, following the order impressed by the Creator on the energies of life, could have gradually been prepared in the form of antecedent living beings [i.e. living beings that existed prior to humanity].” John Paul II, “Humans are Spiritual and Corporeal Beings”, April 16, 1986.
2. From the article Adam, Eve, and Evolution, from Catholic Answers:
People usually take three basic positions on the origins of the cosmos, life, and man: (1) special or instantaneous creation, (2) developmental creation or theistic evolution, (3) and atheistic evolution. The first holds that a given thing did not develop, but was instantaneously and directly created by God. The second position holds that a given thing did develop from a previous state or form, but that this process was under God’s guidance. The third position claims that a thing developed due to random forces alone. .... Concerning biological evolution, the Church does not have an official position on whether various life forms developed over the course of time. However, it says that, if they did develop, then they did so under the impetus and guidance of God [theistic evolution], and their ultimate creation must be ascribed to him. Concerning human evolution, the Church has a more definite teaching. It allows for the possibility that man’s body developed from previous biological forms, under God’s guidance, but it insists on the special creation of his soul.... While the Church permits belief in either special creation or developmental creation on certain questions, it in no circumstances permits belief in atheistic evolution.
[My emphasis] 3. From CatholicBridge:, How did God create the human body and soul?
The Church does not have an official teaching on the origin of the human body. There are several faithful Catholic positions which are not contrary to Catholic theology. 1. Special creation: God directly created human beings. 2. Theistic evolution: God designs the laws of the universe, so that they will produce the human body through natural processes (like a sculptor uses a chisel as a tool to create a statue - Indirect design). 3. Intelligent design: God designs the laws of the universe and intervenes directly in histor, to create life in general and specifically the human body. A Catholic is free to believe that God formed the human body out of the dust of the earth in an instantaneous action or by a series of steps. Any of these theories may be accepted by a Catholic until God reveals to us otherwise. The important thing is the human soul. Cardinal Ratzinger who is now Pope Benedict XVI says: "We cannot say: creation or evolution, inasmuch as these two things respond to two different realities. The story of the dust of the earth and the breath of God, which we just heard, does not in fact explain how human persons come to be but rather what they are. It explains their inmost origin and casts light on the project that they are. And, vice versa, the theory of evolution seeks to understand and describe biological developments. But in so doing it cannot explain where the 'project' of human persons comes from, nor their inner origin, nor their particular nature. To that extent we are faced here with two complementary -- rather than mutually exclusive -- realities.”
Viola Lee
September 29, 2022
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VL at 230, "...some of which that can be considered “theistic evolution”, that accept the scientific explanation and description of what has happened that are not materialism." Show me an online definition of 'theistic evolution.'relatd
September 29, 2022
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For the record, I don't qualify as one of these "pro-Evolution troops". Again, "pro-Evolution troops" is being used as a synonym for materialist, completely ignoring alternative positions, some of which that can be considered "theistic evolution", that accept the scientific explanation and description of what has happened that are not materialism. This continues to be ignored.Viola Lee
September 29, 2022
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Ba77, I will point out again that the pro-Evolution troops have been deployed here. Their assignment will last forever. Their purpose is to repeat various things related to Evolution but which have no empirical evidence, just claims. This happened this way and that happened some other way, and so on. And the grand conclusion is that it all happened through natural - meaning non-God - means. To sum up the falseness: "There are no gods, no purposes, and no goal-directed forces of any kind." - William Provinerelatd
September 29, 2022
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As to:
Darwinian worldview… Oxymoron alert! Darwinian evolution is a biological theory, not a worldview.
Atheistic Naturalism is a worldview that entails Darwinian evolution. It might have been more proper to say Naturalistic worldview. Yet Darwinian worldview gets the same point across with more specificity as to exactly what part of the naturalistic worldview we are talking about. It is definitely not an oxymoron say Darwinian worldview. For crying out loud, Darwinian evolution forms the basis from which to view the entire world. Just ask the late William Provine,
"Let me summarize my views on what modern evolutionary biology tells us loud and clear — and these are basically Darwin’s views. There are no gods, no purposes, and no goal-directed forces of any kind. There is no life after death. When I die, I am absolutely certain that I am going to be dead. That’s the end of me. There is no ultimate foundation for ethics, no ultimate meaning in life, and no free will for humans, either. What an unintelligible idea." - (late) William Provine - Charles A. Alexander Professor of Biological Sciences at Cornell University, https://evolutionnews.org/2015/09/william_provine/
On the other hand, Darwinian evolution itself, with the term Natural Selection, does contain an oxymoron right in the heart of its theory,
",, intelligent design is a thoroughly apt phrase, signifying that design is inferred because an intelligent agent has done what only intelligent agents can do, namely, make a choice. If intelligent design is a thoroughly apt phrase, the same cannot be said for the phrase natural selection. The second word of the phrase natural selection, is of course a synonym for choice. Indeed the l-e-c in selection is a variant of the l-e-g that in the Latin lego means to choose or select, and that also appears as l-i-g in intelligence. Natural selection is therefore an oxymoron. It attributes the power to choose, which properly belongs to intelligent agents, to natural causes, which inherently lack the power to choose." - William Dembski - Science and the Myth of Progress - pg 294 - 2003 https://books.google.com/books?id=9w53fjGdnAoC&pg=PA294
As to the claim that "Darwinian evolution is a biological theory", well, it is interesting to note that the science of biology itself has very little use for Darwinian ideas,
"In fact, over the last 100 years, almost all of biology has proceeded independent of evolution, except evolutionary biology itself. Molecular biology, biochemistry, and physiology, have not taken evolution into account at all." - Marc Kirschner, founding chair of the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School, Boston Globe, Oct. 23, 2005 "While the great majority of biologists would probably agree with Theodosius Dobzhansky’s dictum that “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”, most can conduct their work quite happily without particular reference to evolutionary ideas. Evolution would appear to be the indispensable unifying idea and, at the same time, a highly superfluous one.” - Adam S. Wilkins, editor of the journal BioEssays, Introduction to "Evolutionary Processes" - (2000). "Certainly, my own research with antibiotics during World War II received no guidance from insights provided by Darwinian evolution. Nor did Alexander Fleming's discovery of bacterial inhibition by penicillin. I recently asked more than 70 eminent researchers if they would have done their work differently if they had thought Darwin's theory was wrong. The responses were all the same: No. I also examined the outstanding biodiscoveries of the past century: the discovery of the double helix; the characterization of the ribosome; the mapping of genomes; research on medications and drug reactions; improvements in food production and sanitation; the development of new surgeries; and others. I even queried biologists working in areas where one would expect the Darwinian paradigm to have most benefited research, such as the emergence of resistance to antibiotics and pesticides. Here, as elsewhere, I found that Darwin's theory had provided no discernible guidance, but was brought in, after the breakthroughs, as an interesting narrative gloss. In the peer-reviewed literature, the word "evolution" often occurs as a sort of coda to academic papers in experimental biology. Is the term integral or superfluous to the substance of these papers? To find out, I substituted for "evolution" some other word – "Buddhism," "Aztec cosmology," or even "creationism." I found that the substitution never touched the paper's core. This did not surprise me. From my conversations with leading researchers it had became clear that modern experimental biology gains its strength from the availability of new instruments and methodologies, not from an immersion in historical biology.,,, Darwinian evolution – whatever its other virtues – does not provide a fruitful heuristic in experimental biology." - Philip S. Skell - (the late) Emeritus Evan Pugh Professor at Pennsylvania State University, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. - Why Do We Invoke Darwin? - 2005
bornagain77
September 29, 2022
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Jerry at 225, Yes, the Woke agenda. Or 'social engineering.' I would appreciate it if posters used the actual words as opposed to acronyms. WEF = World Economic Forum. This is their chance to re-form the world to fit their agenda. Helping people is always good. Getting them to think differently about certain things can be bad.relatd
September 29, 2022
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“I’m not up-to-date on these conspiracy theories.” They are not conspiracy theories the WEF has been quite candid about its “Great Reset” agenda it even made the cover of Time magazine awhile back. As for the holy trinity of Critical race theory ( Diversity Equity and Inclusion) and Environmental Social Governance both have been adopted and promoted by the two largest shareholders of virtually every SP 500 company as well as the companies themselves. Vividvividbleau
September 29, 2022
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Googling DIE
Diversity, inclusion and equity. Every corporation of any size is being forced to promote these two sets of ideologies.jerry
September 29, 2022
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VL at 220 and 221, The only example I'll give is that BlackRock is promoting the Woke agenda. It is promoting ideas that it thinks regular people should be exposed to. To create a world that they want to create. To remake the existing world to their ideas and to make people think like them. I reject this. It is an artificial reality.relatd
September 29, 2022
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I found out what ESG means. Googling DIE doesn't find whatever you are referring to. Google must be in on the conspiracy to not let people know about it, whatever it is! :-)Viola Lee
September 29, 2022
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What is DIE and ESG
Interesting you never heard of it since you claim you are up to date. Wonder why. It’s driving the world these days. Look it up. Is it conspiracy theory? Not when nearly every corporation is preaching it. They are being forced to by BlackRock/Vanguard.jerry
September 29, 2022
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Can you give examples of what you are talking about, relatd. You description is so vague that I have no idea: for instance, what is "social furniture"? That sounds like one of these "new words" that you say you don't use. And what is an example of a fake visual environment?Viola Lee
September 29, 2022
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Can you give examples of what you are talking about, relatd. You description is so vague that I have no idea: for instance, what is "social furniture"? That sounds like one of these "new words" that you say you don't use. And what is an example of a fake visual environment?Viola Lee
September 29, 2022
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Jerry at 217, Gosh, I thought it was run by two Welfare cheats working from a garage in New Jersey. :) I'm very familiar with BlackRock and Vanguard. I am not familiar with DIE or NSG. What I'm talking about involves reshuffling the social furniture by using subtle influences. These include the creation or reuse of words and terms. Creating "new" fake visual environments to give the illusion that certain things have changed. To create dialogue to promote certain ideas and to disparage others. This is an ongoing problem. To counter it, the most effective way is to avoid accepting the words and images. Those words and images that remain are sometimes acceptable, but that is relatively rare.relatd
September 29, 2022
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I'm not up-to-date on these conspiracy theories. (and I'm pretty well in touch with current affairs, I think.) What is DIE and ESG?Viola Lee
September 29, 2022
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The Global Cabal
Run from Switzerland. Controls more economic power than US economy. BlackRock and Vanguard are two US elements. Where do you think the DIE and ESG nonsense is coming from? Controls nearly all the media through corporate boards. That’s why they report in lockstep.jerry
September 29, 2022
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VL at 213, The Cabal I refer to involves those in charge of processing most of what we see and hear, including physical products we buy. The biggest companies use words and images to affect us in some predetermined way. This creates the illusion we are "living in the future" and is meant to expose us to certain ideas and images The Cabal decides are important, including those that can influence behaviors. When I spot these things, I decide why they exist and then I automatically reject them. Those involved in actual manufacturing just produce whatever they're told to produce.relatd
September 29, 2022
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Asauber: lol I’m also a turd. Just ask my wife. Being funny doesn't get you off for having a double standard. If I had said what LtComData said but directed at Christians I would have had a ton of bricks come down on me. But who condemned him amongst the theists on this thread? No one. If you want us to take you seriously then deal with things seriously. And honestly.JVL
September 29, 2022
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So everyone in manufacturing is part of this? I agree with you that the modern world of commercialism, in which producing things we really don't need and that are then constantly changed to stimulate those needs are, in my opinion, a flaw of modern commercial capitalism. However, if this is a "cabal" it incudes a vast proportion of people involved in the modern economy.Viola Lee
September 29, 2022
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So everyone in manufacturing is part of this? I agree with you that the modern world of commercialism, in which producing things we really don't need and that are then constantly changed to stimulate those needs are, in my opinion, a flaw of modern commercial capitalism. However, if this is a "cabal" it incudes a vast proportion of people involved in the modern economy.Viola Lee
September 29, 2022
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"you were such a coward" JVL, lol I'm also a turd. Just ask my wife. Andrewasauber
September 29, 2022
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Asauber: My only claim was that LCD’s comment about atheists could be valid. You are all riled up for no reason. I really must apologise. I didn't realise you were such a coward about stating and standing up for your moral standards. My bad.JVL
September 29, 2022
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VL at 209, Of course there is. The same people are involved in product design and labeling. The guiding idea is this: "Make sure it doesn't look like the old stuff."relatd
September 29, 2022
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relatd: do you you really think there is a "The Global Cabal"?Viola Lee
September 29, 2022
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JVL, Interesting though, that we are way off the topic of the OP. That's living with Trolls, I guess. Andrewasauber
September 29, 2022
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"I guess that’s true if you’re just going to avoid addressing moral issues where you claim to have the higher ground." JVL, My only claim was that LCD's comment about atheists could be valid. You are all riled up for no reason. Andrewasauber
September 29, 2022
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