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Home Q & A Board Biology-Related Homework Help Cell Biology
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ilikecrackers ilikecrackers
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11 years ago
Heat receptors of mammals are particularly concentrated on the tongue. These receptors keep humans from burning the mouth with hot food. What advantage is it for a wild mammal that doesn't cook its food to have so many heat receptors in its tongue?
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#1
11 years ago
When something hot comes in contact with your skin (whether in the mouth or out) it causes the skin's molecules to gain kinetic energy.  If this energy is high enough, the molecules become destabilized and rend from eachother, causing a burn.

There is nothing special about the nerves in a mouth that make them especially receptive to heat.  They are extremely sensitive to pain and feelings of all kinds because of their importance in sorting through the food in your mouth so you don't swallow anything harmful.
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