A viral pandemic once persisted across the globe for over 15 million years.
In short: Modern mammalian DNA contains evidence of an ancient, widespread retrovirus. This video explores how scientists tracked the long-term evolution and interspecies transmission of this prehistoric pathogen, revealing a pandemic that endured for millions of years across diverse animal populations.
Research published in the 2016 eLife paper by Diehl et al. demonstrates that our own genomes act as a historical record of ancient viral infections. By analyzing the genomes of various modern mammals, researchers identified the signature of a retrovirus that circulated globally for more than 15 million years.
This study highlights the complex relationship between viruses and their hosts, showing how these pathogens can persist and evolve alongside mammalian species over geological timescales. The findings provide a unique perspective on the deep history of viral transmission and the enduring impact of ancient pandemics on biological evolution.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Pandemic That Lasted 15 Million Years
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