Human saliva may contain an enzyme which can decompose the plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Researchers found the promising enzyme, a hydrolase, in a database containing human metagenome samples. As they report in ...
Biochemistry
Jun 29, 2022
0
691
A frog uses its whip-like tongue to snag its prey faster than a human can blink, hitting it with a force five times greater than gravity. How does it hang onto its meal as the food rockets back into its mouth?
Plants & Animals
Jan 31, 2017
0
283
Blood tests are a common, yet often painful, step in health care. But what if we could skip the needles altogether? Saliva and blood contain many of the same biomarkers, and collecting spit is as simple as drooling into a ...
Biochemistry
Nov 29, 2023
0
1
A lollipop might be a sweet reward for a kid who's endured a trip to the doctor's office, but now, this candy could make diagnostic testing during a visit less invasive and more enjoyable. Researchers publishing in Analytical ...
Analytical Chemistry
Jul 10, 2023
0
31
Infectious diseases and respiratory infections in particular are a leading cause of global mortality. As such, there is an urgent need for rapid, large-scale diagnostic tools that can detect these diseases early, something ...
Bio & Medicine
Jun 12, 2023
0
55
Doctors often use tongue depressors when peering in a patient's mouth and throat. But what if that flat wooden spatula could actively evaluate the patient's health? That's the premise of an ecofriendly disposable sensor, ...
Analytical Chemistry
Apr 25, 2023
0
32
Adolescent chimpanzees share some of the same risk-taking behaviors as human teens, but they may be less impulsive than their human counterparts, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 23, 2023
0
257
The human gut microbiome is composed of thousands of different bacteria and archaea that vary widely between populations and individuals. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biology in Tübingen have now discovered ...
Evolution
Sep 16, 2022
0
654
PCR tests, also called molecular tests or nucleic acid tests, are considered the gold standard in detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that gives rise to COVID-19. However, they can take a few days to process, ...
Analytical Chemistry
Aug 5, 2022
0
270
Despite breakthrough diabetes research over the past century, people with diabetes still need to rely on obtaining blood samples to monitor their sugar levels. Daily glucose monitoring by tracking blood sugar levels is essential ...
Analytical Chemistry
Oct 14, 2021
0
283
Saliva (also referred to as spit , spittle or slobber) is the watery and usually frothy substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is produced in and secreted from the salivary glands. Human saliva is composed mostly of water, but also includes electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds, and various enzymes. As part of the initial process of food digestion, the enzymes in the saliva break down some of the starch and fat in the food at the molecular level. Saliva also breaks down food caught in the teeth, protecting them from bacteria that cause decay. Furthermore, saliva lubricates and protects the teeth, the tongue, and the tender tissues inside the mouth. Saliva also plays an important role in tasting food by trapping thiols produced from odourless food compounds by anaerobic bacteria living in the mouth.
Various species have evolved special uses for saliva that go beyond predigestion. Some swifts use their gummy saliva to build their nests. Some Aerodramus swiftlet nests are made only from saliva and used to make bird's nest soup. Cobras, vipers, and certain other members of the venom clade hunt with venomous saliva injected by fangs. Some arthropods, such as spiders and caterpillars, create thread from salivary glands.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
