Prions: An Interpretative Dance

(Unfortunately, my Macbook crashed and the hard drive has to be replaced, so I lost all my files and cannot record a video on this Chromebook that I’ve borrowed from the library because the functions are very limited. Instead, I will proceed to describe my dance along with the scientific data behind it.)

Instead of using my entire body for the interpretative dance, I decided to use my body from torso up (especially with my hands). I began by creating a circular motion with my hands, which describes the clear, unblemished nervous system that the normal prion proteins are residing in. Then, I began to do a little wave with my right hand to signify the abnormal prion protein with the gene PrPSc crawling into this unblemished area. As my right hand does its little wave, my left hand begins to rise up and go towards the right hand in also a wave-like form. Then the right hand grabs onto the left hand to show the abnormal prion protein latching onto the normal prion protein. Then the two hands begin to vibrate as the normal prion protein is folded abnormally as well.

Afterwards, I begin to snap my fingers all around to indicate the lesions that are created in the initial unblemished nervous system. This shows the repercussions of the abnormal prion proteins spreading throughout the cell body. Then, I grab my head with both my hands and begin to thrust it around to imply Mad Cow disease, which is one of the diseases that arises from these collection of PrPSc genes. Then, I grab my face with my hands and begin a chewing-like motion to indicate cannibalism that caused kuru, another tribal disease that arose from abnormal prion proteins. Afterwards, my head kind of wilts to the side to show that the result of all of these diseases are usually always death. And thus ends my interpretative “dance” of prion proteins and the diseases that arise from it.

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