If you get a root canal or any other potentially painful procedure done at the dentist's office, he or she will probably inject your gums with a local anesthetic to "numb the pain." Neurons that trigger pain are called nociceptors. They trigger pain in order to alert the body to potentially dangerous stimuli. Most local anesthetics hinder the activity of all local neurons, not just nociceptors, so pain is not the only sensation that goes away temporarily. Because all feeling is gone, you can end up drooling on yourself without knowing it.

Considering this information about local anesthestics, which of the following statements best demonstrates that science is an ongoing process that changes in response to new information and discoveries?
A. There are a variety of local anesthetics being used today, including lidocaine, prilocaine, and mepivacaine.
B. Sir Charles Sherrington, who discovered nociceptors, wrote a book about the nervous system that helped show its role in allowing organisms to adapt to their environments.
C. Unlike a local anesthetic, a general anesthetic causes a person to lose consciousness rather than sensation in one area.
D. Scientists have discovered a way to use a compound found in hot peppers, capsaicin, along with an anesthetic in order to block nociceptors only.