Paleovirology expanded: New virus fragments found in animal genomes
Friday, December 3, 2010 - 15:32
in Biology & Nature
New research now points the way to a record of viruses that have insinuated themselves into the genomes of insects and animals, providing clues about their evolutionary history. The findings could enable scientists to learn from genetic “fossils” of viruses in much the same way that they do from retroviruses, which unlike regular viruses, use their host’s genetic machinery to reproduce.
