Sonic hedgehog Memes

The eternal battle between scientific rigor and creative chaos! Organic chemists sweat bullets following IUPAC's 87-character naming conventions while biochemists casually name critical proteins after video game characters. Nothing says "I've spent 12 years in academia" like discovering a fundamental protein and naming it "Sonic Hedgehog" because it looks spiky. Even better? The medical community had to rename it to "SHH signaling molecule" because doctors couldn't keep straight faces telling parents their child had a "Sonic Hedgehog mutation." The protein naming Wild West is real—we've got Pikachurin, Dorsal, and even BATMAN (seriously, look it up). Science: where we split atoms and also name proteins after our childhood heroes.

Protein researchers rejecting sensible nomenclature based on function in favor of naming their discovery "Sonic Hedgehog" or "Pikachurin." Nothing says scientific gravitas like explaining to grant reviewers that your breakthrough involves a protein named after a blue cartoon rodent that collects rings. The Drosophila guys started this trend and biochemistry never recovered.

The scientific naming wars are BRUTAL! On the left, we have regular biologists looking utterly betrayed while their colleagues (right) are cackling with glee after naming an actual living creature "Sonic Hedgehog." That's right—these lab-coat rebels named a crucial protein after a video game character! The protein is seriously important in embryonic development, which means medical students worldwide must keep straight faces while discussing "Sonic Hedgehog deficiencies" with patients. Taxonomic trolling at its finest! Next time you're naming a new species, remember: with great discovery comes great opportunity for scientific mischief!