British scientists have discovered Neanderthal’ viruses in the DNA of modern sick humans. They made their discovery as they studied DNA samples of these ancient hominids and then compared them to the DNA of cancer patients alive today. As it turned out, the same DNA strings appeared in both samples. This suggests that these viruses were already formed when the shared ancestor of modern humans and these ancient hominids walked the earth. That’s more than half a million years ago. Whether these viruses have an effect on health today is being examined.
More information on: The Oxford University webpage.
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