“…a gene that may act as a master switch for cancer.” I shit you not:
The Pokemon gene, which stands for POK erythroid myeloid ontogenic factor (most likely a backronym), is a gene that may act as a master switch for cancer. The leader of the research team which discovered this, geneticist Pier Paolo Pandolfi from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, said the Pokemon gene is unique in that it is needed for other oncogenes to cause cancer. It was discovered in January 2005.
The name is very likely also derived from the Japanese video game, television, and card game series Pokémon. Nintendo threatened legal action because of this in December 2005.
Now all the little kids will be begging their parents to get them cancer for Christmas.
They’ll trade cards such as testicular cancer, lung cancer, etc.