Teaser: capsaicin works by hacking our heat and pain receptors. It's a signal, telling us there is danger when there is actually nothing wrong going on.
Its presence in chili peppers may evolved for discrimination among animals that would digest seeds (mammals) vs. ones that would just spread seeds (birds).
http://www.metafilter.com/58885/Pink-fix
Teaser: capsaicin works by hacking our heat and pain receptors. It's a signal, telling us there is danger when there is actually nothing wrong going on.
Its presence in chili peppers may evolved for discrimination among animals that would digest seeds (mammals) vs. ones that would just spread seeds (birds).