Old viral DNA, once thought to be gone forever, is reactivated in mammalian embryos, with each species showing unique variations. What was once considered viral junk now builds embryos.

Thought to Be Extinct Viral Elements Re-Expressed in Mammalian Embryos A team of researchers led by Prof. Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla at Helmholtz Munich and LMU set out to explore these ancient ...

DNA from ancient viruses that form a part of the human genome may be contributing in the early development of an embryo in the womb, according to a study. Ancient viral DNA, also called ‘transposable ...

717 passages in cell culture; 30 passages in chick embryos; five passages in ferrets; and an additional 50 passages in chick embryos. In 1940, for the first time, a different influenza virus was ...

A study has discovered that DNA from ancient viruses, part of the human genome, may influence early embryo development. Researchers found these viral remnants, once deemed useless, are reactivated ...

A woman in China who used a heating lamp to warm a newborn chicken ended up roasting the bird. The woman, surnamed Yang who lives in Hangzhou in eastern Zhejiang province, said she used an ...

Over half of our genomes consist of thousands of remnants of ancient viral DNA, known as transposable elements, which are widespread across the tree of life. Once dismissed as the "dark side" of ...

Along with colleagues including study co-first author Dr. Marlies Oomen, Professor Torres-Padilla investigated the mysterious nature of ancient viral DNA in early embryos. Rather than focusing on a ...