Mammals Carry a Graveyard of Viruses in Our DNA, And It Could Have a Crucial Purpose
12th September 2021
Whenever a virus infects you, there’s a chance it will leave behind a piece of itself within your DNA, and if this happens in an egg or sperm cell, it will then be passed on through the generations. These are known as endogenous viral elements (EVEs).
In humans, fragments of viral DNA make up around 8 percent of our genome. They can provide a record of viral infections through our evolutionary history, like genetic memory.
“These viral fragments have been retained for a reason,” said paleovirologist Emma Harding. “Over millions of years of evolution, we would expect all DNA to change, however, these fossils are preserved and kept intact.”