10 South Park Secrets You Totally Missed
7. Kenny Inspired A Name For The Gene Of A Fruit Fly
As aforementioned, the character of Kenny McCormick was based on a childhood friend of Trey Parker. The real Kenny was extremely poor, wore a parka and constantly skipped school, inspiring the running joke that he had died. That very same Kenny may have inadvertently named a gene mutation that causes fruit flies to die.
To elaborate, a scientist (and avid South Park fan) at the University of Strasbourg discovered that fruit flies with a faulty version of said gene die within two days after being infected with certain bacteria, hence why it was given the name Kenny, based on the death-prone character. Also known as NEMO and IKK gamma, Kenny is an important part of the fly’s immune response, working together with another gene known as Relish.
See, South Park has contributed to the field of science too!