News Life Carnivores can lose sweet genes A string of mammals that eat a lot of meat have lost the power to detect sweetness By Susan Milius March 13, 2012 at 10:34 am - More than 2 years ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print As a rough rule of tongue, animals that have lost the power to taste sweetness tend to be specialized meat eaters. A gene crucial for detecting sweet taste carries disabling glitches in seven of 12 mammals analyzed in a new study.