What Science Says About... Prions: the Evidence-First Guide to Unexplained

A protein with no genes of its own can infect a brain - and no one saw it coming.Prions are infectious agents made entirely of misfolded protein - no DNA, no RNA - a finding that forced scientists to rewrite assumptions at the core of molecular biology, from a remote epidemic to a cattle crisis that reshaped food safety worldwide.Modern structural biology has exposed the shape-based mechanism behind infection, along with unsettling evidence linking related processes to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's - raising stakes far beyond one rare, incurable disease.Inside, you'll discover: - How a protein with no genes learned to copy itself - Why a cattle epidemic became a global public health crisis - The unsettled debate linking prions to Alzheimer's and Parkinson'sPart of the What Science Says About... series, evidence-based explorations of science's most compelling mysteries.Step into the science - and see what's actually proven.