We ask a shocking question is humanity a virus. Retroviruses have inserted their code into our DNA over millions of years. Today a large part of our genome comes from ancient viruses. Some of this ...

Researchers report that ancient viruses may be to thank for myelin -- and, by extension, our large, complex brains. The team found that a retrovirus-derived genetic element or 'retrotransposon' is ...

Scientists from the University of Colorado, Boulder (CU Boulder), have published new research in Science Advances that shows that endogenous retroviruses (ERVs)—“junk DNA”—in the genome can play a ...

Bats have long been known as important hosts of zoonotic viral pathogens. Zoonotic viruses that bats transmit are capable of infecting humans and have caused devastating infections throughout the ...

An international team of scientists has analyzed the ongoing colonization by two retroviruses of the germline of koalas and resulting deaths from cancer in multi-generational pedigrees of over 100 ...

Retroviruses are a type of virus in the viral family called Retroviridae. They use RNA as their genetic material and are named for a special enzyme that’s a vital part of their life cycle — reverse ...

HIV belongs to a family of viruses, retroviruses, that could be as much as half a billion years old. Scientists have now discovered that retroviruses could have emerged in ancient marine vertebrates, ...