From Kuru to Nucleation, Aggregation, Polymerization and Crystallization in Biology and Medicine - Molecules: Nucleation, Aggregation and Crystallization - page 2

enormous resistance to dry heat of a small fraction (about one part in 10 6 )
of infectious activity may represent a molecular casting, fingerprints of
the nucleants.
Infectious nucleant or prion activity is the result of very close three-
dimensional matching. Any particle which can sufficiently mimic the abil-
ity of the molecule to be nucleated to crystallize, to fibrilize, or to form a
two-dimensional molecular sheet can trigger the process. Matching must
surely be at atomic distances, close enough to evoke van der Waals forces
and Coulombic forces, even H-bonding.
Can we preserve biological specificity of antibodies,
antigens,pheronemes,receptors,transmitters,ion
channels and enzymes in organic molecular casts
or atomic moulds?
The answer is yes, already for the first six items, and if we allow for
synthetic hydrocarbon polymers for molecular casting, it may be so for
enzymes.
Dermatoglyphic preserving of biological specificity
One of my adopted New Guinea sons has pointed out to me that a finger-
print using battery ink (MnO 2 ) is an example of such preservation with no
atom of carbon and of biological specificity, more individual than the
DNA sequence of identical twins.
Fossils show accurate speciation in paleobotany
and paleozoology
Another of my adopted New Guinea sons has pointed out that fossil foot-
prints allow for accurate classification and yet are not a source of DNA
for speciation by polymer chain reactions. Nucleoli can be counted in
inorganic fossils in cells extinct for millions of years.