Fat Factors

A mouse's exposure to certain environmental chemicals can lead the animal—and its offspring and grandoffspring—to be overweight.

Written byKerry Grens

| 2 min read

Listen with Speechify

0:00

2:00

Obesogens, such as the extensively studied fungicide tributyltin (TBT), can act in a variety of ways to promote fat storage and adipose tissue production, often by disrupting hormonal signaling. Such effects have been well documented in animal models and in human cell culture, but the impact of these compounds on people is still unclear.

© LUCY CONKLINMice exposed to TBT end up with fat deposits in the liver and testis and greater fat mass throughout the body. These effects can perpetuate through generations, presumably via epigenetic mechanisms.

Read the full story.

See a PDF of the infographic.

Interested in reading more?

The Scientist ARCHIVES

Become a Member of

Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!

Join for free today

Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Kerry Grens
Kerry served as The Scientist’s news director until 2021. Before joining The Scientist in 2013, she was a stringer for Reuters Health, the senior health and science reporter at WHYY in Philadelphia, and the health and science reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. Kerry got her start in journalism as a AAAS Mass Media fellow at KUNC in Colorado. She has a master’s in biological sciences from Stanford University and a biology degree from Loyola University Chicago.
View Full Profile