3 ms·
Prion's are pretty amazing as examples of self-replication. The fact that they (and viruses) are considered "non-living" always seemed like an arbitrary distinc
by jberryman 16y ago
Prion's are pretty amazing as examples of self-replication. The fact that they (and viruses) are considered "non-living" always seemed like an arbitrary distinction to me.
- rdtsc 16y agoAs I already posted in a reply above, what makes prions so fascinating is that they are pure information. It is a mis-shaped protein and it is the particular state of it being mis-shaped that allows it to mis-shape other nearby proteins and transmit that state. I find that very interesting. It is akin to an cell automata -- a glider perhaps.