I'm sticking with Occam's razor on this one - "the simplest explanation is more likely the correct one". A world awash with kilojoules means any life forms aro

I'm sticking with Occam's razor on this one - "the simplest explanation is more likely the correct one". A world awash with kilojoules means any life forms around human civilization will be a little more plump. Charlie Stross does give a hat tip to the overwhelming desire by some sectors to see obesity categorised as a disease / epidemic: "many large corporations would love to see the obesity epidemic pinned on something other than their own sub-standard food products". However he pulls a quote from Nikhil Dhurandhar at the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre to talk about AD-36 as a potential significant factor in obesity. I just wonder as the largest nutrition research centre in the world, with 600 researchers, whether there is ever any institutionalised bias towards concluding / promoting the idea that obesity is a disease / epidemic? Obviously baseless speculation on my part, but a quick Google finds such Pennington-run conferences as 'Childhood Obesity and Public Health', which is sponsored by...Coca Cola? http://www.pbrc.edu/childhood_obesity_conference/default.htm http://www.pbrc.edu/childhood_obesity_conference/default.htm I fail to see how accepting this kind of sponsorship money is healthy for independent research in this area.