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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

as it happens, the DNA in our own cells isn’t solely ours, either. More than eight percent of the human genome is not human at all [arstechnica.com]—it’s from viruses. And scientists are still digging up yet more viral code [doi.org] from human DNA that may well influence our lives.

In a new study this week, researchers analyzed the genomes of more than 2,500 people and found 19 never-before-noticed segments of viral genetic code. Some of that viral DNA may have been traveling down human lineages for at least 670,000 years, the researchers reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Most of the genetic sequences are mere remnants of long-gone viral particles. Still, previous research has found evidence that such fragments may influence the development of diseases, such as cancer and autoimmune disorders, based on their activity or placement near human genes.

But, perhaps more interesting, the researchers also found a segment of viral code that appeared to be completely intact and, when activated, may resurrect an ancient virus.

"This one looks like it is capable of making infectious virus, which would be very exciting if true, as it would allow us to study a viral epidemic that took place long ago," senior author and virologist John Coffin, of the Tufts University School of Medicine, said in a press release [eurekalert.org].

Sounds like H.P. Lovecraft was onto something [wikipedia.org].

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