The virus from millions of years ago; From people to chimpanzees, from pigs to pandas including family members of each animal affected countless ancient mammals.

This prehistoric virus became extinct about 15 million years ago, but inactive parts of its DNA are still present has managed to survive to this day. Let’s see what this virus is and how it continues to live in our body.

Nearly 8% of our genome consists of the genetic sequences of retroviruses that infected our ancestors.

Every retrovirus, including modern viruses such as HIV, requires a DNA copy of its own RNA genome in order to replicate. insertion into the DNA of the host cell must.

This viral genetic material is not usually passed from generation to generation, but it could be possible if retroviruses acquire the ability to infect germ cells, such as eggs or sperm, that pass their DNA on to future generations. If retroviruses successfully enter germ cells, they eventually will in the population’s genome They can settle down.

One of the most successful examples of this is the virus that spread fifteen to thirty years ago.

In 2016, scientists searched for fossil remains of ERV-Fc (the virus that spread 15-30 million years ago). taken from 50 mammals scanned. He found that the virus was present in the ancestors of at least 28 of them, including relatives of pigs, lemurs, squirrel monkeys, baboons, humans, dogs, pandas, chimpanzees and marmosets.

Even more interesting is that the virus did not infect all of these mammalian relatives even once. between species He jumped more than twenty times. In short, a transcontinental epidemic has occurred, affecting mammals on every continent except Australia and remote parts of Antarctica.

What is the status of ERV-Fc today?

Although this virus has no effect on human health today, some of its genetic material is contained in our genome. It stands motionless. Mammalian genomes contain hundreds of thousands of ancient viruses similar to ERV-Fc, experts say.

Furthermore, investigating retroviruses such as ERV-Fc, We must make progress in tackling contemporary diseases such as HIV. offers.

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