The chemistry of scrapie infection: implications of the ICE-9 metaphor

Prions as analogous to Vonnegut's ICE-9?

The transmissible spongiform encephalopathies pose an increasing problem for animal, and perhaps human, health. The infectious agent seems to lack a nucleic acid component, posing the question of how it can reproduce. A model of reproduction by nucleated polymerization suggests a number of novel approaches to the problem.

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See Also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_cow_disease

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polywater