Super-strength.. mysteriously adopted.. at first I took him for a Marvel, but now he's sounding a tad D.C.

As per the tags, it seems Liam Hoekstra has a genetic mutation affecting production of myostatin, a protein that is known in some animals to limit muscle growth. Before Liam, it was unclear whether myostatin performs the same function in humans, but his development seems to strongly indicate it does. As the condition is very rare, it's not known whether there will be any downsides to the mutation in the long run. Presumably there's a reason evolution hasn't selected more strongly for this mutation, but it could just be that in harsher conditions, a high metabolism and high muscle mass may not be ideal as someone with such a body will require more nourishment than a less-muscular person. Also the ability to put on fat is quite important for anyone without a guaranteed, steady source of energy. In a wealthy society, however, famine is not very common, so this kid may do just fine.

The idea has been thrown in the air, by the way, that the myth of Hercules might have stemmed from someone with this mutation. Completely unverifiable, of course, but a fun thought anyway.


Edit: Apparently this kid's condition is a little different, I was thinking of a German child whose body wasn't producing myostatin, leading to increased muscle growth. This is related as well, but apparently Liam's body does produce myostatin, it just isn't affecting him in the usual way. Apparently there could be several myostatin-related methods to increase muscle growth.

In other news, you know you're getting old when toddlers start getting more ripped than you.

*long
part 2, 3, 4, 5

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*long

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These scientists have the potential to bring benefits to millions of people, and all they can do is wring their hands at future athletic biotech abuses... who cares. Professional athletics is already a story about genetic freaks.