Our tongues openly rebel against bitterness as a way of protecting us from things that could potentially cause us harm. Turns out our skin might have similar taste receptors that give extra protection against potentially harmful compounds.

Researchers from Okayama University of Science in Okayama, Japan, found that a taste receptor called TAS2R doesn’t just call our tongues home but perhaps also our skin, our stomachs, and our upper airways. Yes, we may even have these receptors in our colons. What they’re tasting in there is the flavor of nightmares.

Keratinocytes are the primary type of skin cell within our outermost layer of skin, the epidermis, and have been found to contain these bitter receptors. The researchers exposed a lab-grown version of these skin cells to a bitter crystalline compound called phenylthiocarbamide, or PTC for short.

The TAS2Rs receptors in the skin detected the PTC, an observation that was reinforced by the production of ABC transporters. These are proteins that shuffle substances away from cell membranes. Essentially, the PTC touched the skin, which then generated a bunch of ABC to get the PTC the hell away to prevent damage.

Just to make sure, the researchers then rubbed a muscle relaxing substance called verapamil onto the transporters, effectively shutting down their ability to swipe away potentially harmful bitter compounds.

All of this suggests that the very same TAS2Rs that make us wince and scrunch our faces when we suck on a Warhead are producing similar but less expressive effects pretty much everywhere else on our bodies.

Even the oddest and most mundane scientific discoveries could have some potential practical applications down the line. In this instance, the researchers also found that skin cells with activated taste receptors can better defend against toxic substances. This can one day lead to, let’s say, a more advanced antihistamine topical cream that could more effectively get rid of the itching and burning of a rash.