Perhaps one of the keys to good health isn’t just what you eat but how you taste it. Taste buds — yes, the same ones you may blame for that sweet tooth or French fry craving — may in fact have a powerful role in a long and healthy life — at least for fruit flies. Bitter tastes could have negative effects on lifespan, sweet tastes had positive effects, and the ability to taste water had the most significant impact — flies that could not taste water lived up to 43% longer than other flies.