Fats Memes

Holy molecular arrangements, Batman! The prefix battle rages across disciplines! In chemistry, cis/trans isomers are like identical twins wearing their substituents on different sides of a double bond. Meanwhile, biology's showing off with cis fats (nuts, avocados - the "good" stuff) versus trans fats (french fries, margarine - the "I'll regret this tomorrow" stuff). Even mathematics couldn't resist joining the party with its own cis/trans functions! It's like the universe decided "same concept, different contexts" was the ultimate inside joke for nerds. Next time someone says "pick a side," just remember - molecules had this identity crisis first!

Scientists are the original users of cis/trans terminology, and we're not giving up our nomenclature without a fight. In chemistry, it's all about those fatty acid configurations—cis fats like avocados and olive oil vs. trans fats trying to clog your arteries. Meanwhile, biology's over here with cis/trans gene regulation and cellular membranes. And then mathematics swoops in with complex functions and geometric transformations because apparently everyone wanted a piece of this positional relationship action. The scientific community was into position-based identity labels before it was cool.

Scientists: *discover cis-trans isomerism* Nature: "I've been doing that for billions of years." From chemistry with double-bonded molecules where groups are on same/opposite sides, to biology with healthy fats vs. trans fats, to mathematics with trig functions and geometric transformations—the cis/trans dichotomy is universal. Just like that one grad student who keeps "transforming" the communal coffee from full to empty without making a new pot.