Iam a geneticist, which, last time I checked, is a perfectly upstanding profession. I mean my mother-in-law still speaks to me, so that must be a good thing, right?
And yet, when I reveal that I study the genetics of body weight and that your genetics can be the driving cause of obesity, I become a bad person. I'm perceived as giving overweight or obese people terms I don't use in a pejorative fashion - an excuse.
This has always been an interesting take for me. If I were studying something else, like the genetics of cancer, dementia, arthritis or any other disease, would I suddenly be giving the people who are suffering from those conditions an excuse? I'd hope not. Instead, I hope that people would understand that I'm trying to understand biology and mechanisms, and, shocking I know, I might even be trying to help some of them.
IT'S IN THE GENES
When we talk about body weight, it's all too often considered to be a matter of lifestyle', a habit, a lack of willpower, a choice. The reality is that while rapid changes in our food environment and lifestyle have undoubtedly driven up the obesity figures worldwide, there are many people who are skinny and others who aren't. There's clearly a large variation in body weight, even in the 'obesogenic' environment we live in today (one that promotes weight gain). A large part of this, although by no means all, is down to genetics.
Much of the evidence for a genetic basis to body weight has come from the study of twins. There are identical twins (who are, for all intents and purposes, genetic clones of each other) and there are non-identical twins (who share as much genetic material as you would with your own siblings or parents - 50 per cent). If you study a large enough number of twin pairs, let's say thousands, then you can examine any given human trait or behaviour and compare the variation if 100 per cent of genes are shared versus 50 per cent.
This story is from the June 2024 edition of BBC Science Focus.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2024 edition of BBC Science Focus.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Do We Finally Know How the Egyptian Pyramids Were Built? - A number of breakthrough studies are beginning to paint a picture of how these wonders of the world were built, but much of the story still remains a mystery...
A number of breakthrough studies are beginning to paint a picture of how these wonders of the world were built, but much of the story still remains a mystery...How the Egyptian pyramids were built has long been a mystery. Constructed as tombs for the pharaohs over 4,000 years ago, more than 100 of them remain. The largest one, the Great Pyramid of Giza, was originally 147m tall (482ft). It's made up of about 2.3 million stone blocks, each weighing between 2.5 and 15 tonnes, and would have had to be transported to the building site and lifted into place with techniques available at the time. To put this into context, it's akin to lifting a double-decker London bus to the top of St Pauls Cathedral a few million times.
An Artificial Heart Inspired by Plumbing - Mechanical circulation could revolutionise transplant design and reduce waiting lists
Mechanical circulation could revolutionise transplant design and reduce waiting lists. In July, this artificial heart was successfully implanted, for the first time, into a patient with end-stage heart failure. Built by The Texas Heart Institute (THI) and BiVACOR, the replacement organ has been dubbed the Total Artificial Heart (TAH). Although, being an implant rather than transplant, it's designed to temporarily support patients while they wait for a real heart transplant.
CHANGE THE (BODY) CLOCKS
Why the end of British Summer Time can be a wake-up call for our circadian health
ARE OCTOPUSES SENTIENT?
If you've watched the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher or been lucky enough to encounter an octopus in the wild, you'll know there's something special about them.
THE MEXICAN MOLE LIZARD
Imagine what would happen if an earthworm, a lizard, a snake and a mole went on a night out, had too much too much tequila and let their guard down.
ECLIPSES ON DEMAND
Inside an unassuming building, behind a damp car park in Antwerp, Belgium, scientists are teaching two spacecraft to be dance partners for a performance that will take place in front of the Sun.
How light's 'secret code' reveals the story of the cosmos
The starlight we can see tells us alot about the Universe, but it's the parts we can't see that contain the biggest revelations
Major Stonehenge discovery deepens mystery around ancient monument
New findings suggest a key six-tonne stone came from over 450 miles north of the circle
THE UNEXPECTED RETURN OF PNEUMATIC TUBES
Once a pioneering technology that revolutionised deliveries, pneumatic tubes had all but disappeared. Now they're back and enjoying a resurgence
LIVING FOSSILS
FOR SOME CREATURES ALIVE TODAY TIME HAS ALMOST STOOD STILL. MEET THE 'LIVING FOSSILS' THAT GIVE US A GLIMPSE INTO LIFE IN THE DISTANT PAST
