Comparing a crystal to a prion or virus is a fun exercise, especially as they all appear in the body and causes health issues. Kidney stones, sugar crystalizat

Comparing a crystal to a prion or virus is a fun exercise, especially as they all appear in the body and causes health issues. Kidney stones, sugar crystalization around nerves, etc. One main "behavior" difference between crystals, prions and viruses is that a crystal only forms by recruiting its equals when in high concentration - growth, but no replication. Most virus is way more complicated than prions as you say, but a blue whale is also more complicated than a single-celled myxozoa and yet they are both animals. I do not think a comparison of complexity is meaningful in this debate. One should also consider that there are countless proteins to misfold in any number of ways, so the prion space is not necessarily that limited. Virus do have the upper hand by using our well-oiled evolutionary machinery though.