NPR's Book of the Day - ‘The Inheritors’ explores the lasting effects of Apartheid in South Africa

It's been 28 years since Apartheid ended in South Africa, but the country's people are still wrestling with the aftermath of segregationist policies. In her book, The Inheritors, journalist Eve Fairbanks shows – through the stories of three people – how decades of institutionalized racism etched themselves into the country's psyche. In an interview with Ayesha Rascoe on Weekend Edition Saturday, Fairbanks said she wanted to help people understand South Africa and its history in a more complex and nuanced way.

Short Wave - TASTE BUDDIES: The Controversial World Of Taste Science

Not much is known about why people experience tastes differently and why some people can detect certain tastes and not others. There also might be other tastes out there to add to the list beyond the five known ones now. In this finale to Short Wave's Taste Buddies series, we're tackling the science of the five tastes, and in this episode, we look at why there is so much more research to be done.

Host Aaron Scott talks to Danielle Reed from the Monell Chemical Senses Center about the controversy in taste science and about what other tastes might exist beyond sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami.

To listen to more episodes about how we taste, check out our Taste Buddies series: n.pr/3sSOgDB

Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.


Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy