Tag Archives: human genome

8% of humans are viruses – what role does ancient viral DNA in your genome play in human disease and development?

According to new research that my colleagues and I recently published, remnants of ancient viral pandemics in the form of viral DNA sequences embedded in our genomes are still active in healthy people. HERVs, or human endogenous retroviruses, make up approximately 8% of the human genome, left behind as a result of infections suffered by… Read More »