You know what would be an absolutely terrifying mechanism of action for a poison?
Catalyzing protein misfolding - specifically, causing the formation of prions and thereby inducing a prion disease in those exposed.
Presumably such a poison would be lethal at extremely low doses... although it would take months, perhaps even a year or two, to manifest its fatal effects.
Meanwhile prions are, in a manner of speaking, infectious - and almost impossible to destroy/decontaminate.
This post is even more excellent if you imagine someone speaking these observations aloud during a long elevator ride among strangers. :)
(I mean, one has to spread the word somehow, right?)
Nah, no chiding from me about "horrid potentialities". :) I used to have the nickname "Morose Maggie" because I'd always have anecdotes about the grim state of the world, and stats to match, to kill an upbeat vibe at any get-together.
(Never meant to! But it's hard to remember that most people don't like knowing about such things. When you're used to a more pragmatic existentialism, it can be tough to move in a world where folks prefer fairy tales.)
Did you ever see Utopia?
@MLClark Haha, thanks.
For what it's worth, I think we may have that in common. I don't always kill the mood, but when I do - generally entirely accidentally - it's... *record scratch* (typically quite sudden/surprising to everyone but me)
I've always found it odd how so many people prefer a comfortable fiction to an uncomfortable truth. Seems to me that sets one up for an inevitable crash back to reality - & often makes the reality worse to boot!
I didn't! I'll have to add that to my list.
(British version, if you watch it!)
@MLClark LOL, I wouldn't do that unless I were purposefully trying to alarm or intimidate.
Although, fair point, I should probably not give voice to any of the horrid potentialities that bubble up from the depths of my mind... that just increases the risk of those ideas spreading until they reach people both capable of and inclined toward materializing them. Which would be bad.