askscience

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Why does the prion associated with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy cause vCreutzfeldt–Jakob disease, yet the prions associated with Scrapie in sheep and Chronic Wasting Disease in deer appear to noninfectious to humans? Shouldn't they also cause vCJD?	9
What prevents fleas from entering an animal's eye's and/or body orifaces?	1
What cultural or geographic factors prevented the rise of a nation-state in Siberia that could have hampered or even prevented the Russian conquest? (x post AskHistory and AskHistorians)	1
What cultural or geographic factors prevented the rise of a nation-state in Siberia that could have hampered or even prevented the Russian conquest?	1
How do genetics determine the patterns on a cat's fur?	1
How are the relativistic jets that are emitted by black holes (such as the supermassive one at the center of M87) formed, and is there an upper limit on size?	1
If I had a Tsar Bomba that could survive reentry and dropped it to the surface from the height of the ISS (408 km), what would release more energy: the friction between the casing and the atmosphere during the drop, or from the actual detonation of 50 MT?	1
Why does the prion associated with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy cause vCreutzfeldt–Jakob disease, yet the prions associated with Scrapie in sheep and Chronic Wasting Disease in deer appear to noninfectious? Shouldn't they also cause vCJD?	1
If English were to switch from having an alphabetic writing system to one of a different nature (e.g., syllabary, logography), which would be most efficient for both English's structure and the needs of the average English user?	1
On a molecular level, what's the difference between the lithium in batteries and the lithium in psychiatric medications?	1

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