3 ms·

Seems like that should be pretty easy to stop. Birnessite can break down prions[1] and isn't particularly rare (assuming they don't already account for that).

• Confiks 5y ago
  Beware of overly optimistic university press releases. It's hopeful, but certainly not a panacea. In fact, it's not clear if it will work at all. From your link: "The new study (...) was conducted on prions in solution in the laboratory". "The next step (...) is to mix the mineral with contaminated soil to see if it has the same effect". "I expect that its efficacy would be somewhat diminished in soil".
  • matthewdgreen 5y ago
    A similar conversation took place on HN a few months ago, and a few experts pointed out that a small mutation rendered sheep (I think) totally immune to some common prion disease that was universally fatal to sheep without the mutation. Without being able to find the citation at this moment, it made me much less concerned about the possibility of prions becoming an intractable problem that wipes out all complex life.