F1000Research (Jan 2013)

The prion dilemma confounding science educators [v1; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/ku]

  • Igor V Zaitsev,
  • Ling Chen,
  • Susie Boydston-White,
  • Manita Pavel,
  • Svetlana N Shugaeva,
  • Alla G Petrova,
  • Oksana V Williams

DOI
https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.2-4.v1
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2

Abstract

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In this paper, the issue of the prion hypothesis, a simmering controversy within the scientific community, is addressed. We inquire into the appropriateness of the use of certain augmentations and rhetoric approaches used during scientific debates, as well as the aptness of unequivocal statements in textbooks that indicate “abnormal prions” as a primary cause of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies.

Keywords