This is a summary of: Liu. H. et al. Viral RNA blocks circularization to evade host codon usage control. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09809-y (2025).

New research from King’s College London has revealed a connection between ancient viral DNA embedded in the human genome and the genetic risk for two major diseases that affect the central nervous ...

We’re all mostly human. 8% of your genome comes from viruses. In A Nutshell Scientists captured the first detailed images of ...

Ancient viral DNA embedded in the human genome has been linked to the genetic risks of certain neurodegenerative diseases, according to groundbreaking research. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) ...

The human genome is made up of 23 pairs of chromosomes, the biological blueprints that make humans … well, human. But it turns out that some of our DNA — about 8% — are the remnants of ancient viruses ...

Remnants of ancient viral pandemics in the form of viral DNA sequences embedded in our genomes are still active in healthy people, according to new research my colleagues and I recently published.

A new international study suggests that ancient viral DNA embedded in our genome, which were long dismissed as genetic “junk”, may actually play powerful roles in regulating gene expression. A new ...

In a recent study published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Powell and his colleagues identified two specific HERV expression signatures associated with disease: downregulation of HERVs located on ...

Ancient viruses left a legacy in your DNA. And it turns out, that legacy may be helping shape who you are. A recent international study has shown that certain bits of ancient viral DNA, long dismissed ...

DNA can also be demethylated, either through passive or active processes. Passive DNA demethylation occurs when the methylation pattern is not replenished during DNA replication and gradually ...