all 18 comments

[–]useless_aether[S] 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

“Our results suggest that if prions enter municipal wastewater treatment systems, most of the agent would bond to sewage sludge, survive anaerobic digestion, and be present in treated biosolids,”

“Land application of biosolids containing prions represents a route for their unintentional introduction into the environment. Our results emphasize the importance of keeping prions out of municipal wastewater treatment systems. Prions could end up in sewage treatment plants via slaughterhouses, hospitals, dental offices and mortuaries just to name a few of the pathways. The disposal of sludge represents the greatest risk of spreading prion contamination in the environment. Plus, we know that sewage sludge pathogens, pharmaceutical residue and chemical pollutants are taken up by plants and vegetables.”

[–]wizzwizz4 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

Prions are scary. Seriously. You think vaccines are scary? You think MRSA is scary? You think diagnosed HIV is scary? Try prions on for size.

[–]magnora7 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Yeah prions are pretty scary. For anyone that doesn't know, it's a misshapen protein, that creates more misshapen proteins. Then it breaks all your good proteins of a certain type until your metabolism malfunctions. And no one knows how to fix the ones that are shaped wrong, or stop the ones that are breaking the other ones. That's why it's so scary. It's like an exponential runaway situation

[–]Vigte 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Any info on their age? Could they be tinfoil on a conspiracy?

[–]wizzwizz4 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I don't know what you're asking here, but I'll try to answer.

A prion is a sort of biological computer virus. Assuming evolution, it's perfectly plausible that the same mechanism created prions, since they're extremely hardy and so the first one or two of each type would multiply and spread wildly in the poor creature in which they appeared. (Assuming a creator… well, we have plague, smallpox and HIV, so 🤷.)

A prion is a protein that doesn't do its job properly. Normally that wouldn't be so bad (if your body produces the faulty proteins, you have something like Cystic Fibrosis and die a slow, painful death, but it doesn't infect anyone else), but something about the shape of prions causes other, functional proteins to misfold up into the more stable, non-functional prion shape. Like enzymes, the great biological catalysts, only evil. (To anthropomorphise.)

Does this help?

[–]Vigte 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I meant more along the lines of, do we know when they evolved/first appeared?

Very awesome description though, well written!

[–]wizzwizz4 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

We don't, I don't think, because they leave little to no fossil evidence.

[–]magnora7 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

This is one of a thousand reasons I have a reverse-osmosis filter for my drinking water. The municipal system that we depend on for clean water sometimes doesn't give a crap about the water quality

[–]Dillinger22 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

A preclinical study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that very small doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) a chemical found in marijuana, can slow the production of beta-amyloid proteins thought to be a hallmark characteristic and key contributor to the progression of Alzheimer’s.

Another study from the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California found tetrahydrocannabinol and other compounds in marijuana may reduce the amount of beta amyloid in the brain. Beta amyloid is a hallmark characteristic of Alzheimer’s and is commonly thought to cause the neurodegenerative disease. Marijuana & Alzheimer’s.

[–]Leathered 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I’ve tasted a halitosis flavored mold in my foods before .. also I was once infected after sharing a sandwich (never again). It took a lot of raw garlic and other natural antifungals to cleanse my system of that mold/fungus/infection. Ketone bodies found in raspberry seed, omega-3s, coconut oil, and from fasting help you remove brain amyloid plaques. Days off spent fasted exercising, eating some coconut oil and exercising more will help this process

[–]Vigte 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Everyone's got a bit of mould in them I bet - any more specific recommendations for antifungals? Since the allopathic anti-fungals are wildly toxic...

[–]Leathered 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Surely- pantry staples coconut oil and garlic are all you really need. Garlic is most effective raw and after smashing and mincing then letting sit for 10 minutes to develop the cancer fighting allicin. Rosemary and thyme leaves found in the produce section are great for this and this recipe works perfect for when sick, add zinc. Remove leaves off 1-2 sprigs rosemary and maybe 5-10 sprigs of thyme, mince lightly. I like to make an organic pasta with organic jar sauce.. just put the sauce in the bowl, pour in drained pasta, stir in as much coconut oil as you can stomach.. maybe 3T, and the minced garlic / rosemary / thyme. Eat this a couple days in a row. Add quantity organic Parmesan chz to make it a filling meal. Research the antifungal and antiviral properties of coconut oil. You might also try a product like this- https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01MRCRC2T/

[–]magnora7 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Wow the article even mentions Kuru, I wasn't expecting that.

[–]SundogsPlace 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I have to wonder about the affects of aerosol sprayed materials; such as the Nano-Aluminum, Barium, and other heavy metals. Whether it's intentional, or just by products of jet fuel, these heavy nano particles are showing up all over.

I'm in the Northwest, not in any area directly effected by any beetle, or other critter, and the trees still seem to be dying.

[–]i_cansmellthat 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

About ten years or so ago, it was found that heat sterilization didn't kill prions, therefore it could still be present on surgical instruments after heat sterilization. There is a combination of chemical and heat that is termed "somewhat effective," that is how most facilities sterilize now I think, there is radiation sterilization too (don't know if it is used commonly). Last I read, prions were somewhat an anomaly in that they are not technically alive.

Kurt Vonnegut's fictional substance "Ice 9" is used as a model to show how prions unfold and seed other cells.

[–]StalwartJames 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I've recently been feeling addled until I purged myself with "Scram."

[–]Vigte 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Pardon my ignorance, but what's scram?

[–]StalwartJames 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)