Scientists from the University of Colorado, Boulder (CU Boulder), have published new research in Science Advances that shows that endogenous retroviruses (ERVs)—“junk DNA”—in the genome can play a ...

Researchers report that ancient viruses may be to thank for myelin -- and, by extension, our large, complex brains. The team found that a retrovirus-derived genetic element or 'retrotransposon' is ...

Oncogenic retroviruses are a particular family of viruses that can cause some types of cancer. Scientists have now identified a "virulence factor" that inhibits the host immune response and allows the ...

Retroviruses probably evolved roughly half a billion years ago, making this medically and economically important group of viruses five times older than scientists previously thought. The finding, ...

Endogenous retroviruses are remnants of ancient viral infections that have integrated into the germline DNA of their hosts, becoming a permanent part of the host genome. These viral sequences, once ...

Bats have long been known as important hosts of zoonotic viral pathogens. Zoonotic viruses that bats transmit are capable of infecting humans and have caused devastating infections throughout the ...

The rise of the mammals may be feel like a familiar tale, but there’s a twist you likely don’t know about: If it wasn’t for a virus, it might not have happened at all. One of the few survivors of the ...

A retrovirus is a virus that works by converting its own RNA into DNA once it is in a host cell. It then integrates this DNA into the DNA of the host cell, allowing the virus to replicate. Three ...