Virginia-based food distributor using DNA to track beef. First came organic, then free-range, then local. Now discerning diners with a penchant for spending a premium to know where food comes from are pushing DNA-traceable meat onto restaurant menus. [News Source]

How to deal with dead farm animals? Composting might be answer. Every living animal dies. When it happens unexpectedly on a farm, it can be inconvenient and expensive to deal with. But a natural method of disposal is catching on that gives a whole new meaning to "chipped beef." [News Source]

Local cases of rare brain disease draw scrutiny. Residents in Sonoma County suffer from a rare and fatal illness related to mad cow disease at a rate that is twice as high as the national average, prompting victims' families to launch a search for answers. [News Source]

Local cases of rare brain disease draw scrutiny Residents in Sonoma County suffer from a rare and fatal illness related to mad cow disease at a rate that is twice as high as the national average, prompting victims' families to launch a search for answers. [News Source]

The prion heretic. For 30 years, Laura Manuelidis has rejected the dominant theory that misfolded proteins cause infection. Sticking to a minority view has become a career in itself. [News Source]

Two gene classes linked to new prion formation Researchers have discovered two classes of yeast genes that may hold clues as to why proteins take on the misfolded prion form, a condition associated with several neurodegenerative diseases, such as "mad cow." [News Source]

Study Finds 2 Gene Classes Linked To New Prion Formation Unlocking the mechanisms that cause neurodegenerative prion diseases may require a genetic key, suggest new findings reported by University of Illinois at Chicago distinguished professor of biological sciences Susan Liebman. Prions can turn a normal protein into a misfolded form. One prion in mammals promotes progressive neurodegenerative disorders like "mad cow" disease that often prove fatal ... [News Source]

Study finds two gene classes linked to new prion formation Unlocking the mechanisms that cause neurodegenerative prion diseases may require a genetic key, suggest new findings reported by University of Illinois at Chicago distinguished professor of biological sciences Susan Liebman. [News Source]

Two Gene Classes Linked to New Prion Formation Researchers have discovered two classes of yeast genes that may hold clues as to why proteins take on the misfolded prion form, a condition associated with several neurodegenerative diseases, such as "mad cow." The findings are reported in the journal PLoS Genetics. [News Source]

Study finds 2 gene classes linked to new prion formation ( University of Illinois at Chicago ) Researchers have discovered two classes of yeast genes that may hold clues as to why proteins take on the misfolded prion form, a condition associated with several neurodegenerative diseases, such as "mad cow." The findings are reported in the journal PLoS Genetics. [News Source]