Cool Mint Research Paper

Cool Mints When eating a mint a cool sensation bursts through one's mouth, but is that mint really making their mouth cold, or is it just their mind playing tricks on them? This science fair project is questioning whether or not mints really make one's mouth cold. To test this the theory, the project will include a glass of lukewarm with mints added in every few minutes. How will adding mints in a glass of room temperature water affect the temperature of water? Why does it feel like mints cool down one's mouth? According to David McKemy, a neurobiologist at USC Dornsife, a protein called TRPM8 that is found in all cold sensing nerve fibers that triggers an electrical signal to the brain to let the the person know they are cold. Dr. Richard L. Mueller defines TRPM8 as "an ion channel, upon activation it allows the entry of Na+ (sodium) and Ca2+ (calcium) ions to the cell that leads to depolarization and the generations of an action potential." In other words the TRPM8 cells open for sodium and calcium. However, in an article by Matt Soniak, he states that the TRPM8 ion cells don't only open to Na+ (sodium) and Ca2+ (calcium), but certain natural chemicals can activate TRPM8 on their own such as menthol that can be found in mints. What temperature should the water, that is being tested, be at? According to Jeff Goodman, …show more content…
According to the research the menthol in a mint chemically tricks your nervous system to think it is colder than it actually is. According to Ellen Leggett, when you look at, taste, and smell peppermint they are such strong sensory element that makes a detour around our thought process and straight to our emotions, making us think that the mint is making your mouth cold, even though it actually is not. Knowing that mints do not actually make one's mouth cold one can conclude that the mints will not actually make the water colder than room