The Family That Couldn't Sleep

A deadly disease that steals sleep, eats holes in brains, and leaves Venetian family members dead in mere months. A primitive tribe suffers from a sickness whose chief symptom is uncontrollable laughter. Across Europe, millions of sheep rub their fleeces raw and cows attack their owners. What do these bizarre conditions have in common? Prions - mysterious proteins that can cause neurological illnesses that are always fatal. In this spellbinding tale, journalist D. T. Max reveals the hidden past and deadly future of prions.