A look at retroviruses
August 24, 2019
This HND piece discusses the fiendishly clever world of retroviruses—those microbes that actually work their way into your own DNA genome for reproduction. They are "retro" because they turn the usual DNA/RNA/protein model on its head. We start off with an intro on viruses in general, before venturing into those nasty retros.
We then segue into HERVs: Human Endogenous Retroviruses. These are ancient retros that are now a permanent part of our genome, and are likely responsible for multiple sclerosis, ALS, and schizophrenia. There is more ancient virus in us than you might like to believe.
Read the complete article.
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