For this article, Steve Bunk interviewed David J. Julius, assistant professor of cellular and molecular pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco. Data from the Web of Science (ISI, ...

Ever wondered why spicy foods make your mouth feel like it's on fire? Ever wondered why spicy foods make your mouth feel like it's on fire? The answer lies in a chemical compound called capsaicin.

I love the spicy taste of salsa, but I always keep a glass of milk handy. I talked about why milk calms the spicy feeling with my friend Emily Cukier. She’s a chemistry librarian at Washington State ...

Spicy foods sometimes cause an unexpected sensation after digestion: a burning feeling in the anus. This impression can be surprising, but it is explained by a simple biological mechanism. The main ...