A prion is a tiny piece of protein that can fold the wrong way and then make other proteins fold the wrong way too. Doctors think prions cause some rare brain diseases, including BSE (mad cow disease) in cows and a human disease linked to it. It is not a virus and not a bacterium — it has no DNA of its own, which is why scientists found it so strange when they first described it.

A prionprion is a tiny piece of protein是一小片蛋白質 that can fold the wrong way它可能會摺疊成錯誤的形狀 and then而 make other proteins fold the wrong way too讓其他蛋白質也跟著摺錯。Doctors醫生 think prions cause認為prion會造成 some rare brain diseases一些罕見的腦部疾病, including包括 BSE (mad cow disease) in cows牛的BSE（狂牛症） and和 a human disease linked to it跟它有關的一種人類疾病。It它 is not a virus不是病毒 and not a bacterium也不是細菌 — it has no DNA of its own它本身沒有DNA, which這 is why就是為什麼 scientists科學家 found it so strange一開始描述它時覺得非常奇怪的原因 when they first described it

The word is science and health-news language, not daily chat. These diseases are very rare; the word is for understanding the news, not for scaring anyone.

The word這個字 is science and health-news language是科學和健康新聞用語, not daily chat不是日常聊天會用的。These diseases這些疾病 are very rare非常罕見; the word這個字 is for understanding the news是用來看懂新聞的, not for scaring anyone不是要嚇任何人

Though actually, people still loosely call it a kind of germ. The careful point is: it is a protein, not a living bug.

Though actually不過事實上, people人們 still還是會 loosely call it鬆散地把它叫做 a kind of germ某種病菌。The careful point is精確一點的重點是: it它 is a protein是一種蛋白質, not a living bug不是活的病原體