Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.

Anyone else find the Bill Nye: Fad Diet episode to be absolute garbage?

2»

Replies

  • Lizarking
    Lizarking Posts: 507 Member
    Get... Dr. Fiengenbam (sp) Lyle McDonald, and Alan Argon (sp) on the panel, then we're making progress
  • dudebro200
    dudebro200 Posts: 97 Member
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    dudebro200 wrote: »
    medic2038 wrote: »
    So I've been checking out the new Bill Nye show on Netflix, I'm a nerd and absolutely love science shows.
    Despite there being some things on other episodes that were patently false, I found the "expert panel" on fad diets to be the worst in the series.

    While it's true many fad diets, and detoxing are pretty much nonsense... One of the experts (one of which was a comedian?!?) made the claim that weight is 70% determined by genetics. How can a so called expert have such a misunderstanding of 1) genetics, 2) physiology?

    Genetics can certainly have an impact on your body, your genes aren't an absolute indicator of an outcome. Simply because someone has a predisposition to something, doesn't mean that is always going to happen (IE think of the Angelina Jolie breast cancer gene debate several years ago). It's much more complicated then "have gene X, must get condition X".

    So any way she further goes on to talk about starvation mode, and makes the claim that our metabolisms magically violate thermodynamics (paraphrasing). Again they make the claim about what society finds to be attractive changes with time (and I agree with that), they make the jump to saying changing body composition is completely out of your control.

    So her expert advice... eat "reasonably healthy" and exercise a "reasonable amount".
    Anyone else find this particular panel/episode to be absolutely horrendous?



    I work in biotechnology, and all I have worked for are genetic testing Companies. Mainly the bigger named companies. I worked in the finance side the companies, but I always tried to keep informed of certain objectives and research projects.

    Based on my experience most, if not all human traits, are 50-70% determined by genetics. The only reason why things haven't got pushed higher (to 80%+) is because we still don't have the computing power to decipher complex correlations involving billions of genes.

    One thing I have noticed is that the public is very adverse to this information. Nobody wants to believe that most of our lives were determined at conception. Many of the discoveries aren't released to public because of this in my opinion.

    People want to discount genetics because they want to emphasize so-called "free will", but even one's patience, determination and "grit" seem to be largely determined by genetics.

    One day, in the next 10 years not 50 years, the science book on this subject is going to be shut closed. The ramifications of this on public policy and mainstream "common sense" are going to be significant.



    Genomes determine what a specific trait will be - eye color, height, etc. To extend this to behavioral predictions is pure conjecture without foundation.


    No it's not conjecture. Every twins-reared-apart study has shown a 60-70% genetic component to behavior and within last 5 years dozens, GWAS have isolated genetic components to behavior. The blank-state is a very antiquated way of thinking.

  • billglitch
    billglitch Posts: 538 Member
    Bill Nye is a douche
  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
    dudebro200 wrote: »
    medic2038 wrote: »
    So I've been checking out the new Bill Nye show on Netflix, I'm a nerd and absolutely love science shows.
    Despite there being some things on other episodes that were patently false, I found the "expert panel" on fad diets to be the worst in the series.

    While it's true many fad diets, and detoxing are pretty much nonsense... One of the experts (one of which was a comedian?!?) made the claim that weight is 70% determined by genetics. How can a so called expert have such a misunderstanding of 1) genetics, 2) physiology?

    Genetics can certainly have an impact on your body, your genes aren't an absolute indicator of an outcome. Simply because someone has a predisposition to something, doesn't mean that is always going to happen (IE think of the Angelina Jolie breast cancer gene debate several years ago). It's much more complicated then "have gene X, must get condition X".

    So any way she further goes on to talk about starvation mode, and makes the claim that our metabolisms magically violate thermodynamics (paraphrasing). Again they make the claim about what society finds to be attractive changes with time (and I agree with that), they make the jump to saying changing body composition is completely out of your control.

    So her expert advice... eat "reasonably healthy" and exercise a "reasonable amount".
    Anyone else find this particular panel/episode to be absolutely horrendous?



    I work in biotechnology, and all I have worked for are genetic testing Companies. Mainly the bigger named companies. I worked in the finance side the companies, but I always tried to keep informed of certain objectives and research projects.

    Based on my experience most, if not all human traits, are 50-70% determined by genetics. The only reason why things haven't got pushed higher (to 80%+) is because we still don't have the computing power to decipher complex correlations involving billions of genes.

    One thing I have noticed is that the public is very adverse to this information. Nobody wants to believe that most of our lives were determined at conception. Many of the discoveries aren't released to public because of this in my opinion.

    People want to discount genetics because they want to emphasize so-called "free will", but even one's patience, determination and "grit" seem to be largely determined by genetics.

    One day, in the next 10 years not 50 years, the science book on this subject is going to be shut closed. The ramifications of this on public policy and mainstream "common sense" are going to be significant.



    Probably because it's a self-defeating proposition that seemingly nullifies the significance of whatever conclusions that scientist were genetically pre-determined to come to.
  • 2essie
    2essie Posts: 2,847 Member
    Definition of an expert. An ex is a has-been and a spurt is a drip under pressure.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    edited May 2017
    newmeadow wrote: »
    I watched Bill Nye's Sex Junk Song performed and choreographed by Rachel Bloom. I can't post the video link for it here due to MFP's indecency standards. But do Google Bill Nye's Sex Junk Song. I thought it was a joke, but apparently Bill was serious. I will watch future Bill Nye song-and-dance-numbers strictly for the entertainment value. Him and his friends are one wild and crazy bunch.

    My husband made me watch this. My sex junk shriveled up and died.

    Just watched it. Not sure what that video was doing on Bill Nye, a show for kids.

    Everyone just doing what feels right in the moment (instant gratification) is the opposite of what is healthy for a society or teaching kids. Kids already understand instant gratification and need to learn delayed gratification, and considering the consequences of their decisions.
  • Unknown
    edited May 2017
    This content has been removed.
This discussion has been closed.