I'm sure you've all heard of mad cow disease? Well, mad cow disease was actually sparked by a protein called a prion. This led to fatal brain problems in the cattle. This was dangerous because it could affect any humans that ate contaminated meat. As we learned in this chapter prions are infectious proteins that cause diseases by inducing the abnormal folding of other protein molecules. So, more recently, a "mad deer" disease has come about. It targets deer, moose, and elk in the U.S. Fortunately, there are naturally occurring disinfectants found in lichen that may stop the dangerous prions in the wild.
This article talks about how lichens are natural born prion killers and how they can help us solve this dangerous disease.
These types of diseases are scary because they are produced by prions and we all know prions are super bigbods. They're super indestructible. You could be all like "aww yeahh I'm gonna boil all the bacteria outta you" and they're just like, "no". Dry heat, ionizing radiation, you name it... nothing will faze them. After all, one of the main reasons mad cow spread so fast is due to prions resistance to inactivation.
These wild animals spread the disease through their urine, feces, and saliva.
Christopher Johnson of the U.S. Geological Survey of the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin, and his team found that three species of lichen have an enzyme that can break down the infamous prion!!!! Scientists concluded that when prions come into contact with lichens or soil near them, they inactivate. aka... prions are'nt so big anymore :)
Le Lichen (aka biggerbods than the prions)
This article talks about how lichens are natural born prion killers and how they can help us solve this dangerous disease.
These types of diseases are scary because they are produced by prions and we all know prions are super bigbods. They're super indestructible. You could be all like "aww yeahh I'm gonna boil all the bacteria outta you" and they're just like, "no". Dry heat, ionizing radiation, you name it... nothing will faze them. After all, one of the main reasons mad cow spread so fast is due to prions resistance to inactivation.
These wild animals spread the disease through their urine, feces, and saliva.
Christopher Johnson of the U.S. Geological Survey of the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin, and his team found that three species of lichen have an enzyme that can break down the infamous prion!!!! Scientists concluded that when prions come into contact with lichens or soil near them, they inactivate. aka... prions are'nt so big anymore :)
this is a great post, however this topic is not being covered in lecture, way to over achieve
ReplyDeleteare you serious? NOOOOOOO! Did he say we're not doing 18.2 or something?
DeleteThat is EXACTLY what he said.
DeleteAnd by the way you are not cute and adorable like you think you are, BUUUUT
Whoever is grading your blog should take into consideration that you were absent when he said we weren't covering 18.2 and therefore should not take off points.
Love,
Sbuh