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ION, PION, PRION

This will be another quick case of extending a word by adding letters progressively.  I like how this batch crosses a variety of sciences:

An ION is any atom with a charge due to having excess or missing electrons.  If missing an electron, it will be a positive ion.  If it has an extra electron to share, it will be a negative ion.  Table salt is made up of a positive sodium (Na+) and a negative chlorine (Cl-) ion.  (In the simplest form, or when in solution in water.)  That is basic chemistry.

Now a PION is a subatomic particle, coming from physics.  The name is shortened from pi-meson.  The exact nature of this particle can be found here.  For our purposes, it's just a useful word to know in Scrabble or other games.

Next in line is the PRION, which comes from biology.  Believe it or not, there are infectious particles that are smaller than bacteria, even smaller than viruses ... PRIONS are simply misfolded mutant proteins that can cause damage to living cells, usually in brain or nerve tissue.  PRION is short for "proteinaceous infectious particle," shortened to "protein infection," shortened to PRION.  The most well known prion-based disease is mad cow disease.  

The word PRION was coined by Stanley B. Prusiner in a 1982 paper where he insisted it should be pronounced "pree-on", but the only times I've ever heard it said, it was "pry-on".  I would also say "pry-on" if it ever ever came up in conversation, so I stand corrected.  

PRION can also be a bird, from a group of small petrels.  These are pronounced "pry-on", which I have never heard come up in conversation either, so there's plenty of room for confusion.


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