Ancient viruses may have aided humans in evolution
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A groundbreaking discovery led by evolutionary biologist Alex de Mendoza Soler, at Queen Mary University of London, reveals that ancient viruses may have significantly contributed to our evolution. The team found remnants of ancient viral genomes within the DNA of a single-celled organism, Amoebidium, which shares a common ancestor with complex organisms like humans. "It's like finding Trojan horses hiding inside the Amoebidium's DNA," said de Mendoza Soler, suggesting these viral insertions could have enhanced survival by contributing beneficial genes.