Alternatives to Modern Evolutionary Theory

[T_aquaticus]

@scd

again; just an assumption.

Again, it is an observation, not an assumption. You can read all about it in my ERV thread.

Endogenous Retroviruses and Common Descent

There are many types of genetic evidence that support common ancestry. One of those pieces of evidence is the remnants of past retroviral infections that are shared by different species. What are retroviruses, what are these remnants, and why do they point to common ancestry? First, let’s get a handle on what retroviruses are. Retroviruses are viruses with an RNA genome that is reverse transcribed into DNA (hence the retro portion of the name) and then inserted into the human genome. There are strong promoters in the inserted viral genome that force the host cell to transcribe the viral genome back into RNA and to also translate some of that viral genome into the proteins needed for new viral capsids. The virus works its way to the cell surface, detaches, binds to a new cell, injects its genome into the cell, and the process repeats. [image] So where in the host genome do retroviruses insert. As it turns out, all over the place. A group of scientists infected human cells wit…