If you’ve taken a Biology class, you probably know that the fruit fly is something experimented on and looked at a lot. You also probably know it’s because the fruit fly only has 3 chromosomes and a fairly uncomplicated DNA structure.
Those who study fruit flies have identified more than 26,000 fruit fly genes and most of them are given silly names. There are pop culture references, sci-fi references, literary references, and even Latin puns.
You can read a list of them at flynome.com. Sophie Rutschmann of the University of Strasbourg is one such person to give a gene a silly name. The mutated gene, which she named Kenny after Kenny McCormick from South Park, causes adult flies to die within two days after they are infected with certain bacteria.
In case you’re not aware, the character Kenny from South Park is notable because (more so in early seasons) he would frequently die in horrible ways.