Bookverdict.com

Science writer Ingram (The Barmaid's Brain) ranges across far-flung locations and scientific debates as he relates the fascinating details of the title's misfolded proteins, called prions, which have been found to be responsible for numerous degenerative diseases. Ingram begins with the discovery of the disease called kuru in New Guinea in the early 1950s and explores the emerging science around that disease as well as scrapie (spongiform encephalopaths in sheep and goats), mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, and the mysterious misshapen and misfolded pro...Log In or Sign Up to Read More