Can a protein molecule replicate itself?
Proteins come in all sizes, but they all are made of smaller subunits called amino acids (mostly). The smallest proteins are quite large molecules. Proteins often have hundreds to many thousands of subunits. I think I’ve heard of some bio-molecules being able to replicate themselves. The protein that is thought to cause mad cow disease is called a prion, and it is basically just that, a protein. It isn’t even a full virus, and it can replicate. There’s debate about whether of not viruses are living things, and here is a molecule, not even an organism, that can also cause a disease.
