We have around 8% alien DNA and by this, we mean it is viral fragments that are not human. This also applies to other things on earth that are equipped with a spinal cord and a jaw. This is a sign of how evolution has taken place over the years.
Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences has published a study showing there is less human DNA than was thought. 19 pieces can be classed as ancient, and %2 of those in the study had the ingredients for a full virus. The forerunner of DNA – RNA – is full of retroviruses and they are able to take hold of a host by putting a replica of their RNA into the host via the genome and humans are included in the list of hosts. HIV – the human immunodeficiency virus – is one of the retroviruses that is doing this at the present time.
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This form of infection has been going on for hundreds of thousands of years, and there are small amounts that have stayed within their DNA. These are passed down through the generations after they have been copied.
17 HERVs have been known about for a while, but now a further 19 have been added. 1 has been found in some subjects, and it is an entire genome. It is only the second *provirus that can survive in humans. In the future it could act like a working virus – something fragments of HERVs can’t do. Virologist John Coffin of Tufts School of Medicine believes we can now study past epidemics.
*Provirus; a form of a virus that is integrated into the genetic material of a host cell and by replicating with it can be transmitted from one cell generation to the next without causing lysis
