Weighty Find: 5 Most Incredible Discoveries of the Week

An intriguing genetic discovery and a study that's not kind to Deepak Chopra make the list:

• Your Father's Sperm Might Be Making You Fat: Having trouble maintaining your ideal weight? Blame your dad's sperm. That may sound odd, but a study in Cell Metabolism found that a man's weight—not just his genes—at the time of conception can predispose his children to obesity. Even guys who had weight-loss surgery showed telltale genetic signs of it.
• Scientists Finally Know Why Snakes Have No Legs: A 90 million-year-old skull and advanced CT scan technology may have solved one of science's oldest mysteries. It's been long theorized that snakes lost their limbs when they evolved to live in the sea, but researchers now think the reason is all about making them better hunters on land. A major clue turned up in a modern reptile's inner ear.

• One of Our Favorite Fruits Looks Doomed: If you like bananas, it's time to start savoring them while you still can. A deadly fungus that's been killing the plant since the 1960s has jumped continents, moving from where it ravaged crops for decades in Southeast Asia to parts of South Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and Africa—and that's just since 2013. There's only one way to fight "Panama" disease that scientists are aware of.
• Sugar-Free Drinks Also Bad for Your Teeth: Worried about tooth decay? Switching to sugar-free drinks won't save you from the acids that destroy enamel and wear down tissues in your teeth, a new study says. Your sugar intake will do down, but not the harm of something called "dental erosion."
• Scientists Figure Out What Type of Person Believes BS: Researchers at the University of Waterloo studied "pseudo-profound bull----" and found that those who are "more receptive" to BS have lower "verbal and fluid intelligence" and are more likely to believe in the paranormal, conspiracy theories, and alternative medicine. One major target of the study: Yes, Deepak Chopra.

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