The DU Lounge

Is This 'Walking' Protein What Happiness Really Looks Like?

A computer-generated visualization of a kinesin protein has been circulating on the internet for years affixed with descriptions that convey varying levels of inaccuracy.

Alex Kasprak
Published July 26, 2017
Updated April 3, 2023

Claim: A viral animation shows a myosin molecule transporting endorphins, which can be thought of as a visual representation of the feeling of happiness.

Rating: False

Origin
Since at least 2014, one of the Internet's most viral scientific images has been an animated gif showing a protein with "legs" strutting along a filament while carrying a large undulating orb. Viral posts originating on Imgur and 9gag have suggested that it is a visual representation of happiness itself:

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