Prions

#1

Post by pccampbell » Mon, Apr 19, 2021, 2:39 PM UTC

Prions
countere.com

Re: Prions

#2

Post by decasia » Mon, Apr 19, 2021, 2:55 PM UTC

I for one would appreciate anyone who has expert biological knowledge commenting on this.

I don't entirely dismiss this article since I have a friend who worked with prions in a bio lab at the Univ. of Chicago and I remember he was absolutely terrified of them. (And IIRC he reported having some doubts about laboratory safety protocols...) But I don't think he was afraid of this kind of apocalyptic endgame either; he just thought they were horrendously nasty stuff.

Re: Prions

#3

Post by purpleflame1257 » Mon, Apr 19, 2021, 2:56 PM UTC

Counterpoint: The Fore people of NZ had kuru from ritual cannibalism. Then they stopped. Eventually, the disease stopped too. Prions are nasty, but we've had 3.5 billion years of protein folding and none of it has ended the world yet.

Re: Prions

#4

Post by SquibblesRedux » Mon, Apr 19, 2021, 2:56 PM UTC

As I read this, cellular automata lurked in the back of my mind. Despite the stochastic details, there is an eerie clockwork marching hiding under the covers of life.

Re: Prions

#5

Post by canadianfella » Mon, Apr 19, 2021, 2:57 PM UTC

I’m surprised these haven’t been weaponized by terrorists.

Re: Prions

#6

Post by SavantIdiot » Mon, Apr 19, 2021, 2:58 PM UTC

> Prions Are Going to End the World

Get in line.

/* reads TFA about prions binding in soil */

Please move to the front of the line.

Re: Prions

#7

Post by tyho » Mon, Apr 19, 2021, 2:59 PM UTC

Ice-nine is the real threat!

Re: Prions

#8

Post by bradrn » Mon, Apr 19, 2021, 2:59 PM UTC

purpleflame1257 wrote: post #3

Counterpoint: The Fore people of NZ had kuru from ritual cannibalism. Then they stopped. Eventually, the disease stopped too. Prions are nasty, but we've had 3.5 billion years of protein folding and none of it has ended the world yet.

(Quick correction: PNG, not NZ.)

Re: Prions

#9

Post by dnautics » Mon, Apr 19, 2021, 3:00 PM UTC

purpleflame1257 wrote: post #3

Counterpoint: The Fore people of NZ had kuru from ritual cannibalism. Then they stopped. Eventually, the disease stopped too. Prions are nasty, but we've had 3.5 billion years of protein folding and none of it has ended the world yet.

This comment is spot on (I'm a former prion researcher).

Re: Prions

#10

Post by falcolas » Mon, Apr 19, 2021, 3:02 PM UTC

purpleflame1257 wrote: post #3

Counterpoint: The Fore people of NZ had kuru from ritual cannibalism. Then they stopped. Eventually, the disease stopped too. Prions are nasty, but we've had 3.5 billion years of protein folding and none of it has ended the world yet.

Globalization is a fairly new thing (on the 3.5B year timescale at least), allowing for the spread of any disease quickly. Whereas isolation and evolution has saved us in the past, it might not have the necessary time in the future (imagine if Covid had been even more deadly, for example).