user6433: As a newcomer to the Biology SE site, it took me by surprise to see the edits made on this question.
Namely, the fact that Latex equations had been changed into HTML equations as below:
$3.8×10^{26} \frac{J}{s}$
into
3.8×1026 J.s-1
Coming from other SE sites, this is a very weird thing to see someone do so I figured to get a second opinion here:
Which of the above two formats is preferred for the Biology SE site?

user6: There are two cases where I would edit out LaTeX code:

in titles
in the main body if the formatting can be reproduced entirely with Markdown

Titles are also displayed on SE sites that don't have MathJax enabled, they should generally not contain any LaTeX code unless absolutely necessary. This is a site rule and everyone should follow it.
Using the LaTeX formatting leads to a short delay before display, especially on slow devices like mobile phones. It shouldn't be used without need. So simply using it to display numbers like $1$, $2$ is something I would edit out.
In your example the formatting without LaTeX is not equivalent. I might use the non-LaTeX version in my own posts, but I wouldn't edit such cases in the posts of other users. This is a case where it comes down to preference, and there are no hard rules established so far.

user3624: I don't think it makes much of a difference here, and often use LaTeX in Qs/As myself. In your case both are acceptable to use. I can only speculate on why your question was edited, but possibly to make the numbers + unit flow better with the text. In this particular case, LaTeX isn't strictly needed, as is the case in more complicated equations. LaTeX is rendered more nicely, but will also stand out more from the body text.
Another issue is rendering on different platforms/software, and on some mobile browsers (e.g. Opera Mini) MathJax is displayed as static images, which can look quite jarring. This is another reason to only use LaTeX when it is necessary to formulate clear questions/answers.

6433: <p>As a newcomer to the Biology SE site, it took me by surprise to see the edits made on <a href="https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/27648/how-much-energy-does-a-lion-contain/"><strong>this question</strong></a>.<br>
Namely, the fact that Latex equations had been changed into HTML equations as below:</p>

<p>$3.8×10^{26} \frac{J}{s}$</p>

<p>into</p>

<p><strong>3.8×10<sup>26</sup> <em>J.s<sup>-1</sup></em></strong></p>

<p>Coming from other SE sites, this is a very weird thing to see someone do so I figured to get a second opinion here:<br>
Which of the above two formats is preferred for the Biology SE site?</p>
 6: <p>There are two cases where I would edit out LaTeX code:</p>

<ul>
<li>in titles</li>
<li>in the main body if the formatting can be reproduced entirely with Markdown</li>
</ul>

<p>Titles are also displayed on SE sites that don't have MathJax enabled, they should generally not contain any LaTeX code unless absolutely necessary. This is a site rule and everyone should follow it.</p>

<p>Using the LaTeX formatting leads to a short delay before display, especially on slow devices like mobile phones. It shouldn't be used without need. So simply using it to display numbers like $1$, $2$ is something I would edit out.</p>

<p>In your example the formatting without LaTeX is not equivalent. I might use the non-LaTeX version in my own posts, but I wouldn't edit such cases in the posts of other users. This is a case where it comes down to preference, and there are no hard rules established so far.</p>
 3624: <p>I don't think it makes much of a difference here, and often use LaTeX in Qs/As myself. In your case both are acceptable to use. I can only speculate on why your question was edited, but possibly to make the numbers + unit flow better with the text. In this particular case, LaTeX isn't strictly needed, as is the case in more complicated equations. LaTeX is rendered more nicely, but will also stand out more from the body text.</p>

<p>Another issue is rendering on different platforms/software, and on some mobile browsers (e.g. Opera Mini) MathJax is displayed as static images, which can look quite jarring. This is another reason to only use LaTeX when it is necessary to formulate clear questions/answers.</p>
