Theory 70/Taste/Rate lens
Taste Fades at Adaptation Rate
The claim
The speed at which a taste disappears is set by the rate of receptor adaptation rather than by the concentration, so a strong taste can vanish while a weak one persists.
01Mechanism
Receptors desensitise on exposure; the adaptation rate determines how quickly the percept decays.
02Prediction
Fade should track adaptation rate.
03Refutation
Fade tracking concentration would remove adaptation.