but it does something very special, because most cells in our bodies communicate through chemicals. and yet, these touch neurons have to sense physical stimuli, such as pressure and temperature, and in a way transform this information into chemical signals that cells can understand, and no one really knew how this happened. places like san francisco are in the grip of an opioid crisis. more people died here in the city of drugs, mainly from fentanyl overdoses, than from covid last year. the hope is that this research will allow scientists to create more targeted and perhaps even less addictive pain relief in the future. james clayton, bbc news, san francisco. fascinating. you saw in that report, let s talk to professor david julius who joins us now. let s talk to professor david julius
was to understand the molecules and signalling pathways that underlie our sense of touch. professor david julius and his team set out to better understand how we interact the world, from our morning coffee to a hug from a loved one. you might think it is pretty obvious when a cup of coffee is too hot or a drink is too cold, but scientists haven t actually understood fully how we experience those sensations, and that is why this research is deemed to be so important. not only does it improve our understanding, but it could have huge implications for how we manage pain. researchers investigated the burning sensation we feel from eating a hot chile pepper. that is give it a particular receptor, part of ourselves that detects the world around them that response to pain. touch is one of the five senses. but it does something very special, because most cells in our bodies communicate through chemicals. and yet, these touch neurons have to sense physical stimuli,
to a hug from a loved one. you might think it is pretty obvious when a cup of coffee is too hot or a drink is too cold, but scientists haven t actually understood fully how we experience those sensations, and that is why this research is deemed to be so important. not only does it improve our understanding, but it could have huge implications for how we manage pain. the research initially came from investigating the burning sensation we feel from eating a hot chilli pepper. they discovered the specific type of receptor that responded to it. from there, the team found other receptors that respond to things like pressure. touch is one of the five senses. but it does something very special, because most cells in our bodies communicate through chemicals. and yet, these touch neurons have to sense physical stimuli, such as pressure and temperature, and in a way transform this information into chemical signals that cells can understand,
does something very special, because most cells in our bodies communicate through chemicals, and yet, these touch neurons have to sense physical stimuli, such as pressure and temperature, and in a way, transform this information into chemical cyclicals that cells can understand, and no one really knew how this happened that chemical signals. places like san francisco are in the grip of an opioid crisis. more people die here in the city of drugs, mainly from fentanyl overdoses, than from covid last year. hope is that this research will allow scientists to create more targeted and perhaps even addictive pain relief in the future. james clayton, bbc news, san francisco. let s take a look at the uk s latest coronavirus figures. they show 35,077 new infections recorded in the latest 24 hour period, meaning an average of 34,160 new cases per day in the last week.
we manage pain. the research initially came from investigating the burning sensation we feel from eating a hot chilli pepper. they experimented with the source of a chilli s heat, the chemical capsicum. they discovered the specific type of receptor that responded to it. from there, the team found other receptors that respond to things like pressure. touch is one of the five senses. but it does something very special, because most cells in our bodies communicate through chemicals. and yet, these touch neurons have to sense physical stimuli, such as pressure and temperature, and in a way transform this information into chemical signals that cells can understand, and no one really knew how this happened. places like san francisco are in the grip of an opioid crisis.