[OmegaMan]

Sonic Hedgehog? Why would you call it that? It makes it seem like a joke.

I never thought of dolphins or porpoises that way before, that they evolved back into the oceans too just like whales.

[ahayes]

Molecular biologists. They have to name all genes/gene products cute names. TIM, TOM, Jordan (a jumping transposon, ha-hah).

It's called hedgehog because a mutation in a related gene in fruit flies causes them to develop these little spikes all over, thus "hedgehog." I'm not sure where the "sonic" in this particular gene comes from, although it's obviously a pop culture reference as well.