Retroviruses 'almost half a billion years old'
Tuesday, January 10, 2017 - 05:01
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Retroviruses - the family of viruses that includes HIV - are almost half a billion years old, according to new research by scientists at Oxford University. That's several hundred million years older than previously thought and suggests retroviruses have ancient marine origins, having been with their animal hosts through the evolutionary transition from sea to land.