Prions remind me of the apocalyptic theory about strangelets and strange matter : "One speculation that has resulted from the idea is that a strangelet coming

Prions remind me of the apocalyptic theory about strangelets and strange matter : "One speculation that has resulted from the idea is that a strangelet coming into contact with a lump of ordinary matter could convert the ordinary matter to strange matter." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangelet#Dangers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangelet#Dangers Also mere ideas could also been seen as some mind-folding catalysts, language being the infective mechanism. Variants of this trope often appear in literature (science-fiction or not). For example in "Viruses of the Mind" : "Richard Dawkins analyzes the propagation of religious ideas and behaviors as a memetic virus" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viruses_of_the_Mind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viruses_of_the_Mind