Comments on: Mammals Made By Viruses

By: Peter Borger

Peter Borger — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 22:22:34 +0000

Ancient virus integrations…???. Did you guys ever hear about the RNA virus paradox? Maybe you should look into it? Remnants of viruses that make up the major part of the observed genomes is just main stream ignorance that is not going to bring us anywhere. The idea that RNA viruses originate from ERVs and not the other way around solves the paradox.

Read my papers on the evolutionary informatics labs and you will understand the origin of RNA viruses and the diseases they spawn.

By: L’évolution hybride | Matières Vivantes

L’évolution hybride | Matières Vivantes — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 12:11:06 +0000

[...] Mammals made by viruses (blog de Carl Zimmer) [...]

By: Science Writing Prize 2012 – Ed Yong « Wellcome Trust Blog

Science Writing Prize 2012 – Ed Yong « Wellcome Trust Blog — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:25:04 +0000

[...] how Carl Zimmer began a piece about ancient viruses that inserted their genes into the DNA of our ancestors. Many of these viral genes have become [...]

By: A voyage of discovery: how the best science writers keep you enthralled | Ed Yong | newsworlddigest.com

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:21:33 +0000

[...] how Carl Zimmer began a piece about ancient viruses that inserted their genes into the DNA of our ancestors. Many of these viral genes have become [...]

By: Biology | Pearltrees

Biology | Pearltrees — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:01:57 +0000

[...] Mammals Made By Viruses | The Loom | Discover Magazine [...]

By: Jeff Clemente

Jeff Clemente — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 03:38:35 +0000

Many would think such a title would be surprising. We find this article interesting because a virus, something commonly believed to be detrimental to our health, is actually something that has survived in the human race for millennia. Many associate the word “virus” with the rhinovirus (common cold) or HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus), which are very detrimental. But, as this article points out, syncytin, which allows host cells to stick to one another, can be beneficial when present in the right places. Evolution simply favors beneficial traits, and this trait certainly helped developing fetus’ so it stayed in the human gene pool.

By: Är vi däggdjur på grund av ett virus? | Naturlig kunskap

Är vi däggdjur på grund av ett virus? | Naturlig kunskap — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:00:08 +0000

[...] av viruset för mellan 85 och 60 miljoner år sedan(A), och hur syncytiotrophoblasten ser ut. Bildkälla Det här inlägget postades i Naturkunskap 1b, Naturkunskap B och märktes däggdjur, [...]

By: peter borger

peter borger — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:27:25 +0000

Dear Mr Zimmer,

Thanks for spreading “the VIGE–>RNA-virus meme” on twitter.

Question to you: where do viruses have their origin. I mean, before they start to evolve (change) they must have their origin somewhere, isn’t it?

Some believe they come from space. The better solution is: they come from the genome. They have their origin in transposable elements knowns as ERVs. Look into the genetics of HIV, influenza and other RNA viruses. You will observe that they have the usual core genes (gag and pol) like the harmless VIGE-family known as ERVs.

In addition, the RNA viruses have acquired genes from the genome in which they reside. HIV has acquired a piece of the CCR5 ligand (to be exact: a piece of the interleukin-8 gene) to enter immune cells. Influenza acquired the neuramidase gene, which is an essential gene found in the genome of mammals and functions to modificy proteins.

In my opinion, evolutionists have turned the world upside down. They believe that viruses made mammals, but the opposite is true. Viruses destroy mammals. The origin of RNA viruses can be found in harmless TEs (type: ERV), which are particularly good at putting genes in new regulatory contexts (to generate novel variation in offspring). Hence, RNA viruses are derailed VIGEs.

By: peter borger

peter borger — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:46:00 +0000

Plants have transposons (e.g. Bs, Cin & mu-elements) to induce variation, fungi have transposable TY-elements to induce variation, insects have transposons like gypsy, copia and P-elements to induce variation, bacteria have IS-elements to induce variation, mammals have ERVs, LINEs and SINEs to induce variation in offspring. These mobile genetic elements are all remnants of ancient virus invasions? Of course not! The induction of variation in offspring is preprogrammed. It may have been highly specific and controlled, but now degenerate.

By: peter borger

peter borger — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:55:11 +0000

No, Mr Zimmer, I did not tell you that the research is non-sensical…what is non-sensical is regarding these pieces of regulatory DNA as the remnants of viruses, while we do not have a single clue where viruses originate. Apparently, RNA viruses simply originate in the genome: from TEs. For the Rous Sarcoma Virus you can simple follow the whole “evolution”: from VIGE via HERV-K to RSV. HERV-K only had to take a small part of the SRC gene from the genome and it became an oncovirus. That is the most parsimonous explanation for the existance of this RNA viruses. In my opinion, this is a general mechanims to account for the origin of RNA virusen. Hence, viruses are secondary mistakes and not original design. To top it up, this view would solve the RNA virus paradox.