>

Ancient Viruses Left Their Mark on Human DNA

Flecks of DNA, remnants of ancient viral infections, now play a surprising role in human health

New research has found that these DNA fragments, once considered harmless junk, may actually be playing a vital role in our biology.

Alandmark study published in the journal Nature has found that ancient viruses buried inside our DNA are very much alive and well. These viruses, called endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), have long been considered harmless junk, but the new study shows that they may actually be playing a vital role in our biology.

ERVs are remnants of ancient viral infections that occurred tens of millions of years ago. These viruses infected our primate ancestors and left behind flecks of DNA that were incorporated into our genome. Over time, these ERVs have become inactivated, but they still make up about 8% of our DNA.

For many years, ERVs were thought to be nothing more than evolutionary leftovers. But the new study shows that they may actually be playing a beneficial role. The researchers found that ERVs can help to regulate gene expression and protect us from infection by new viruses.

The study's findings could have important implications for our understanding of human evolution and disease. They suggest that ERVs may have played a role in our evolution by providing us with new genetic material. They also suggest that ERVs may be a potential target for new therapies to treat viral infections.