Babies CAN"T have tastebuds

Once again, based on my experience as a mother, I am going to have to absolutely disagree with science. It has been "proven" that taste buds emerge at around 7 to 8 weeks' gestation. I beg to differ. Based on my acute observation of the human infant and toddler, I would propose that taste buds emerge around two years of age. As Heidi is just over a year now, it is quite clear that her taste buds simply could not have developed yet. I have irrefutable evidence to back up my theory.
Argument 1: We were visiting our friends and playing in the back yard. Yaya yelled to me, "Mom, Heidi's eating something!" I ran over to find her double fisting cat food and packing it down her throat as fast as she could manage.

Argument 2: We were at another friends house a few days later when again Yaya yelled, "Mom, Heidi's eating horse poop!" I ran over and sure enough she had a nice hard clod in her hand. For my own stomach, I didn't look to closely for teeth marks but I took comfort (somehow) in the fact that at least it was several days old and dry, rather than fresh.

Argument 3: Today, Heidi took her bowl of cereal outside, threw a few hand fulls of dirt in it, sat down and started eating. (Please reference above photo.) She was seriously mad when I took it away.
I just had Heidi's iron checked last week and she is well within the normal range, so I can rule out that she is eating these things because of a mineral deficiency. Therefore I feel it is a reasonable conclusion that "science" has once again been overruled by parenting.