Science and Technology Group
May Meeting: Giles Yeo, Are your genes to blame if your jeans don't fit?
May 16th, Strangers Room
Obesity may well be the world’s largest public health problem.
The recent rapid increase in obesity must be down to changes in our lifestyle and in the types of food we eat. It is clear that our environment has changed a lot over the past fifty years. People take much less exercise and consume far more calories than ever before.
Although we are all exposed to these changes, only some of us are obese.
Our response to this changed environment depenfileds on our genetic make-up. Twin studies estimate that 40% to 70% of the variability of our weight may be due to genetic factors.
Once we realize this, we can use genetics as a tool to understand human obesity. The focus of Dr Yeo’s group is on the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity. It has made major advances in understanding the biology of appetite control. It appears that some of us simply feel hungrier all the time and, as a result, eat more.
Dr Yeo will challenge the prevailing view that obese people are bad, lazy and lacking in moral fibre. He argues rather that they are fighting their biology, at least in most cases. Society will have to accept this before it can come up with strategies to tackle the problem successfully.
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2017 Programme
Dates for 2017 are as follows (all meeting are on Wednesdays, usually the 3rd one of each month):
Month | Day of Month | Speaker | Title |
---|---|---|---|
February | 15th | Prof Martyn Thomas | Cybersecurity |
March | 15th | Prof Anil Seth | Machine Consciousness |
April | 19th | Prof Peter Wilson | Anti-Microbial Resistance. |
May | 16th, | Dr Giles Yeo | Are your genes to blame if your jeans don't fit? |
June | 21st | Prof Paul Veys | CAR-T Study, Anthony Nolan. |
September | 20th | Dr Paolo Tasca | Bitcoins and the Blockchain |
October | 18th | Prof J A Madrigal | Stem cell therapies. |
November | 15th | Dr Uday Phadke | Innovation |
2018 Programme
Dates for 2018 are as follows (usually 3rd Wed of each month):
Month | Day of Month | Speaker | Title |
---|---|---|---|
February | 21st | ||
March | 14th | ||
April | 25th | ||
May | 23rd | ||
June | 20th | ||
September | 11th | ||
October | 24th | ||
November | 28th |