What a koala virus tells us about the human genome — and how it defends itself against viral invasions
What a koala virus tells us about the human genome — and how it defends itself against viral invasions.
The human genome is not entirely human.
Some 8% of our DNA, in fact, originated in viruses, remnants of ancients invasions dating back millions of years. By infecting sperm and eggs, viral DNA found its way into germline DNA — the genetic information passed down to future generations — and stuck around.
Researchers can find these fragments and study what they do. But because the pieces burrowed their way into our DNA so long ago, scientists haven’t been able to watch the process unfold in nature — and see how the genome puts up a fight against such an infiltration.
“It’s a rare event, so basically, it’s never
