Prions are transmissible, self-replicating protein conformations that cause neurodegenerative diseases in mammals, but function as beneficial genetic elements in fungi. The generation of synthetic ...

"Scrapie" is the old Scottish shepherds' name for a disease of their sheep which has been known for several centuries. It is the original example of a group of diseases, known as the "transmissible ...

Prions are not rare, usually are not harmful and may even help organisms adapt, a new study in yeast suggests. Prions are shape-shifting proteins that change function along with their shapes, and can ...

Prions, mysterious shape-shifting proteins, can lead to brain disorders such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans and bovine spongiform encephalopathy, "mad cow disease" in cattle, yet they can also ...

In the novel Cat's Cradle, an eccentric scientist develops a substance called Ice-9 that crystallizes every drop of water it touches. Eventually, it freezes the world's oceans. Now, 40 years after ...

Scientists have shown that prions, bits of infectious protein that can cause fatal neurodegenerative disease such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or "mad cow disease," have the ability to ...

Researchers have identified the amino acid sequences that allow prions to aggregate and replicate - and thereby pass through generations of cells - and prove this by designing an artificial yeast ...

If you search for decent definitions of evolution, the chances are that you’ll see genes mentioned somewhere. The American Heritage Dictionary talks about natural selection acting on “genetic ...

There’s something unfeasibly sinister about prions. These infectious entities are incredibly simple, but they can cause fatal and untreatable diseases like mad cow disease, CJD, and others. Prions are ...