# Crazy African dust?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-african-dust/381153>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 20, 2006, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-african-dust/381153 "2006-11-20T15:28:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-african-dust/381153/1 "2006-11-20T15:28:24Z")

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A friend of a friend claimed that she recently heard a story about some crazy African “dust” that was somehow alive, and could multiply, but didn’t have dna.

OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

Obviously, I’m fuzzy on the details. Does that ring any bells? A quick google turns up nada.

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-african-dust/381153/2 "2006-11-20T15:44:11Z")

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[QUOTE=Trunk]  
Does that ring any bells?  
[/QUOTE]

Sounds like the book Dust by Michael Crichton or [this](http://www.amazon.com/Dust-Charles-R-Pellegrino/dp/0380787423) with the same title. Never heard of anything like that in the real world, unless she is talking about the indian rain of dust/bat blood/rust/whatever that has often come up on this board. Where did she hear this story?

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-african-dust/381153/3 "2006-11-20T15:46:41Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Sounds like the book Dust by Michael Crichton

The book’s title is **Prey** , not “Dust”. And it’s awful.

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-african-dust/381153/4 "2006-11-20T15:48:10Z")

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Sounds just a tiny bit like prions, too.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-african-dust/381153/5 "2006-11-20T15:53:54Z")

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I think you’re probably referring to the [Red Rain in Kerala](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_rain_in_Kerala%5B/url)

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**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crazy-african-dust/381153/6 "2006-11-20T16:52:00Z")

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Sorry, I’ve no more details (like where she read it, or even IF she read it). I’m getting it second hand so I didn’t pry.

Those prions sound freaky, though.

A different [Link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_rain_of_Kerala) to Red Rain in Kerala.