Rubin's team at Harvard, along with colleagues at the University of Michigan, has identified three genes that may be involved, including one that appears to remove the normal brakes on cellular growth, allowing prostate cells to spread like wildfire.

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He argues that a chemical called Sparc (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine) is the culprit, leading smoldering cancers to suddenly spread like wildfire.

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And in addition to learning about why lying is good, or why kids have a natural propensity to learn foreign languages, or whether chimps can talk, business executives are taking greater pains to communicate the right impression to customers in a tech-driven world where word-of-mouth can spread like wildfire to affect brand images.

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As part of that training of teachers, school districts need to impart that what is said in class can spread like wildfire on social media and other sites.

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Similar to the way news of this mistake has spread, like a wildfire, across the web.

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But as city dwellers, Northerners, people all across the country, and many chefs have discovered how good real barbecue is, it has spread like wildfire and there is now good to even great barbecue in most parts of the country.

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Every one person who trusts you will spread the word of that trust to at least a few of their associates, and word of your character will spread like wildfire.

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