icing on the cake
April 13, 2007 2:09 PM   Subscribe

They found the fat gene.
posted by four panels (44 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: please see moss's comment. Please consider a post that's not just ZOMG FATSO. Please try again. -- jessamyn



 
Does this gene make my ass look big?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:10 PM on April 13, 2007 [12 favorites]


What they discovered was a mutation that causes severe fat malabsorption. Not run of the mill fatness.
posted by delmoi at 2:12 PM on April 13, 2007


I can't believe it's not butter.
posted by dhartung at 2:13 PM on April 13, 2007


what, do you mean that it's not one of the seven deadly metafilter sins?

your favorite gene sucks
posted by pyramid termite at 2:14 PM on April 13, 2007


not in time, apparently.
posted by phaedon at 2:16 PM on April 13, 2007


Also found the ugly gene.
posted by Mister_A at 2:16 PM on April 13, 2007 [1 favorite]


dude that first link is slightly NSFW, no?
posted by allkindsoftime at 2:17 PM on April 13, 2007


Are those pictures of Fat Gene? Gene is going to be pissed.
posted by zek at 2:17 PM on April 13, 2007 [1 favorite]


Call me Bubbles, darling.
posted by phaedon at 2:19 PM on April 13, 2007


This thread will wendell. So I'm getting the popcorn ready for the inevitable outcome of this thread. I'm blaming the fat gene for choosing popcorn over a celery stick.
posted by Effigy2000 at 2:22 PM on April 13, 2007


I went to school with Fat Gene. Nice guy. A little smelly.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:27 PM on April 13, 2007 [1 favorite]


HURF DURF, etc.
posted by adamgreenfield at 2:31 PM on April 13, 2007


You do know the plural is "hurves durf", right? Not "hurf durves", as you might naively expect.
posted by George_Spiggott at 2:33 PM on April 13, 2007 [3 favorites]


dude, that first link is not safe for anywhere
posted by mrnutty at 2:33 PM on April 13, 2007


HURF DURF BUTTER-FUCKER?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:34 PM on April 13, 2007


hurf durf, surf and turf, what a girth
posted by pyramid termite at 2:35 PM on April 13, 2007


Reporters:

Please, please, please stop boiling down complex medical issues, under the influence of a constellation of biological, cultural, political, economic and environmental variables, to univariate genetics. No more "we found the gene for x!", as if that means anything more than just a string of codons to produce a protein (or a bit of one, or not produce a protein, etc.)

Or, in other words, STFU.

Your pal,
posted by docgonzo at 2:36 PM on April 13, 2007 [4 favorites]




Actually George, I believe the plural is hurf d'oeuvres.
posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 2:39 PM on April 13, 2007 [2 favorites]


docgonzo:

scientists have found the gene that causes simplistic reporting!!

reporters
posted by pyramid termite at 2:39 PM on April 13, 2007 [1 favorite]


Scientists find another gene that contributes to the absorption of fat, the presence of which is correlated with higher risk of obesity and diabetes.

Prompted by simplistic media coverage and inaccurate web posts, thousands worldwide misinterpret this as "finding the fat gene."

More news at 11.
posted by googly at 2:41 PM on April 13, 2007


Awesome! Pass the pizza and throw away your running shoes!
posted by Mister_A at 2:44 PM on April 13, 2007


So I'm getting the popcorn ready for the inevitable outcome of this thread.

Wait, does MeFi have a history with this or something?
posted by chundo at 2:45 PM on April 13, 2007


MetaFilter is a reprobate chubby-chaser, if you must know. A lard-monger!
posted by Mister_A at 2:48 PM on April 13, 2007


I like to think that the first link's photo was snapped moments after they told that fella (?) the news.
posted by EatTheWeek at 2:48 PM on April 13, 2007


Scientists get angry at misleading and dangerous "fat gene" reporting.
posted by gurple at 2:50 PM on April 13, 2007


So I'm getting the popcorn ready for the inevitable outcome of this thread.

Slather it in butter, and I'll join you in having some.

[This thread and the one above it regarding the failure of abstinence programs may make for an interesting evening of reading.]
posted by ericb at 2:57 PM on April 13, 2007


I was going to link to the Big Boned Gene, but... uh, yeah: NSFW.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:00 PM on April 13, 2007


I am going to eat every mother fucking thing I see tonight.
posted by The Straightener at 3:01 PM on April 13, 2007


Dancing Gene.
posted by miss lynnster at 3:02 PM on April 13, 2007 [3 favorites]


I hate the durfing, but I don't mind the hurfing.
posted by Mister_A at 3:02 PM on April 13, 2007


gene, gene, lobsters are red
all of the salad is green
and the chickens sit low
in their greasy warm glow
come up to the table, gene

gene, gene, you're young and alive
come out of your weight watchers' dream
and run, if you can, to the baked beans and ham
open your mouth, bonnie gene

till the sheep in the valley are roasted on sticks
till the apples fall round you in caramel tubs
when the waiter comes a-singing
you'll be salivating

gene, gene, the steak is half rare
it's marbled with fat and it gleams
the shishkabob's all a-blaze and the taters are glazed
come into my kitchen, bonnie gene

gene, gene, you're young and alive
you can have triple scoops of ice cream!
and run, or just walk, to the cheese in a block
come into my kitchen, bonnie gene
posted by pyramid termite at 3:03 PM on April 13, 2007 [2 favorites]




I think you read that wrong, four panels.
posted by OmieWise at 3:42 PM on April 13, 2007


that's good because I can't fit into my skinny jeans any more.
posted by Flem Snopes at 3:47 PM on April 13, 2007


Those two articles are talking about two unrelated studies, aren't they? The second link is to a page from 2003.

Here is a BBC page which is talking about the same study as the first of four panels' links (the photo is exactly the same, however).
posted by jamjam at 3:59 PM on April 13, 2007


The BBC article in the post is several years old, and is referring to something else. The recent study described in the first link appears to be this one, published in this weeks issue of Science. Sadly, I can't find a free copy of the PDF online.

In general (and certainly in this case), if an article talks about scientists "discovering the gene for" something, it's a sign of irresponsible reporting. Most traits are determined by a variety of genetic and environmental factors, rather than by one particular gene. Nevertheless, this is an interesting development, and worth researching more. The article gurple linked to seems to imply that this gene could be related to the recent increase in obesity rates ("New research has found a common gene, named FTO, found in millions of Britons could be largely responsible for exploding rates of obesity"). If this claim is correct (and given the state of science reporting, there's no guarantee) it would be an astonishing development. I, at least, have always assumed that, whatever the causes of obesity in general, rising obesity rates in the last few decades had to have environmental causes to have changed so quickly. If the causes of rising obesity are largely genetic, then a whole lot of public health policy turns out to be deeply misguided.
posted by moss at 4:02 PM on April 13, 2007


So, another good topic for Ben Goldacre. And despite E2K invoking my name, this was a non-trainwrecky thread with a not-terribly-abusive sense of humor. Or did I just miss the deleted comments comparing Kurt Vonnegut's body shape to Karl Rove's and the ASCII art of Nelson Muntz going "HA HA You're Fat!"

And miss lynnster, my MetaCrush on you grows every day. The Gong Show's Gene was one of the first three things to cross my cluttered mind when I saw this story. I'd like to invite you out for dinner and dancing...
posted by wendell at 4:11 PM on April 13, 2007


Call me when the find the gene responsible for American Idol.
posted by tkchrist at 4:17 PM on April 13, 2007


Call me when they find the gene responsible for Myspace.
posted by voltairemodern at 4:38 PM on April 13, 2007


Meddling scientists. They'll never be able to put the Fat Genie back in the bottle.
posted by brundlefly at 4:45 PM on April 13, 2007


People are saying the first link is NSFW because, what, the guy in the picture is really fat?
posted by Flunkie at 4:51 PM on April 13, 2007


Scientists Discover Gene Responsible For Eating Whole Goddamn Bag Of Chips
It's not my fault I have four times the number of fritoceptors found in a normal human, it's genetic!
posted by Dillenger69 at 4:52 PM on April 13, 2007


Gene, Gene,
the fattening machine...

sorry
posted by jonmc at 5:10 PM on April 13, 2007


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