Being in the process of recovering from some flu-like virus, I am hardly thrilled by the report I happened across that recounted how researchers are now doing a Jurassic Park-style resurrection on extinct retroviruses that lurk in our own DNA.
"Although many retroviruses went extinct hundreds of thousands or millions of years ago, researchers studying the pathogens don’t use the traditional tools of paleontologists: They need look only as far as our own DNA. Retroviruses infect cells and replicate by inserting their DNA into their host cell’s genome. If that cell happens to be a germ cell, such as a sperm, an egg or their precursors, then the retroviral DNA is inherited by offspring just like a normal gene. Humans have many defunct retroviruses deposited in our DNA, remnants of ancient retroviruses that replicated in our ancestors millions of years ago. Now, researchers have brought one of those retroviruses back to life." (Now read on…)
"Although many retroviruses went extinct hundreds of thousands or millions of years ago, researchers studying the pathogens don’t use the traditional tools of paleontologists: They need look only as far as our own DNA. Retroviruses infect cells and replicate by inserting their DNA into their host cell’s genome. If that cell happens to be a germ cell, such as a sperm, an egg or their precursors, then the retroviral DNA is inherited by offspring just like a normal gene. Humans have many defunct retroviruses deposited in our DNA, remnants of ancient retroviruses that replicated in our ancestors millions of years ago. Now, researchers have brought one of those retroviruses back to life." (Now read on…)
The secret word is Fever
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4 comments:
I don't feel well.
Drink lots of water, and eat lots of jello with a heated fork.
And don't call me in the morning.
This sounds horrible on so many levels, and yet the history buff in me wants to know what kind of retroviruses I have in my own personal and precious DNA :)
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