HMM: ‘Metabolic Switch’ Toggles Our Cells to Store or Burn Fat. “Genetic risk factors like this one are often seen as bad cards; unlucky strokes of fate that we can’t do a damn thing about. But thanks to recent advances in synthetic biology, the idea of restoring normal functionality to bunk genes isn’t so crazy anymore. In laboratory cells and mice, Kellis and her collaborators are investigating whether fat-hoarding IRX genes can be switched into the fat-burning variety.”

We’ve all got a lot of things we’d like to be able to switch off, or on.