What is your gut feeling?

Gavin Bewick will explain that by understanding how our bodies control hunger we may find new effective ways to treat obesity, arguably one of the greatest public health threats of our century. Special focus will be given to how the bugs which live in our guts, rather than being passive bystanders, are intimately involved in controlling appetite by modulating the connection between the gut and the brain. We are now beginning to identify dietary interventions which nourish our gut bugs, this is an appealing strategy to help people to lose weight.

What we hear influences what we think about what we taste. Composers and sound designers are increasingly starting to make music/soundscapes to match, and even to enhance, specific taste attributes. In this talk, Charles Spence will explain why it is that we all seem to match what we hear with what we taste. He will play some compositions designed to bring out the spiciness and creaminess, and talk about some of the most exciting recent approaches designed to enhance the tasting experience by thinking a little more about what we hear/listen to while we eat and drink.