Neanderthal viruses found in modern humans

Tuesday, November 19, 2013 - 23:30 in Paleontology & Archaeology

Ancient viruses from Neanderthals have been found in modern human DNA. Researchers compared genetic data from fossils of Neanderthals and another group of ancient human ancestors called Denisovans to data from modern-day cancer patients. They found evidence of Neanderthal and Denisovan viruses in the modern human DNA, suggesting that the viruses originated in our common ancestors more than half a million years ago.

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