CHRONIC wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease similar to BSE that affects
elk and mule deer in North America, can jump the species barrier. Elk and deer
carcasses were fed to cattle in the US until 1997. Now researchers at the
National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, have discovered that brain tissue
from deer with CWD gives cattle the disease when injected into their brains.
Feeding experiments are still in progress (Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic
Investigation, vol 13, p 91).
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
A type of fibre that stimulates GLP-1 release approved for use in food
3
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
4
The weirdness of neutrinos could completely rewrite particle physics
5
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
6
We’re not the most successful human species
7
US government wants to have a useful quantum computer by 2028
8
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
9
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
10
The best new science-fiction novels published in July 2026
