- Science
- Global
How your body senses cold—and why menthol feels cool
- February 21, 2026 at 1:00 PM
- 41 views
When you step outside on a winter morning or pop a mint into your mouth, a tiny molecular sensor in your body springs into action, alerting your brain to the sensation of cold. Scientists have now captured the first detailed images of this sensor at work, revealing exactly how it detects both actual cold and the perceived cool of menthol, a compound derived from mint plants.
Originally published at Phys.org