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Ancient Retrovirus Is Resurrected
ScienceDaily ^
| 3/1/07
Posted on 04/10/2007 12:26:31 PM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: narby
You trying to get banned?
21
posted on
04/10/2007 3:13:39 PM PDT
by
ASA Vet
(http://www.rinorepublic.com)
To: LibWhacker
Just because one can do something does not mean one SHOULD do it.
Sheesh!
22
posted on
04/10/2007 3:17:25 PM PDT
by
LibKill
("RUDY GIULIANI" is just "HILLARY CLINTON" misspelled and wearing a dress.)
To: ASA Vet
Why would he be banned? I have seen (and participated in) many threads arguing theology and science. He didn't say anything abusive.
Besides, he may be right.
23
posted on
04/10/2007 3:21:15 PM PDT
by
America_Right
(Fred Thompson - The closest thing to Reagan we are likely to get!)
To: Vicomte13
And the entire planet would be a desert, instead of just the ones we have now.
To: ASA Vet
25
posted on
04/10/2007 3:40:47 PM PDT
by
Vicomte13
(Le chien aboie; la caravane passe.)
To: RightWhale
We are immune to all these old viruses and have incorporated them into our DNA code so really they are part of us and cannot infect us again.
Having copies of ancient viruses in our genome does nothing to confer immunity from them should they be 'resurrected'- the defunct copies are merely retroviruses that inserted copies of themselves into our DNA, but the copies mutated later and so can no longer be 'read'. In addition, the copies also have mutations that even if they were 'read', they would produce a broken virus. But these researchers produced a hybrid version of a group of these old copies that can be 'read', and as it turns out is free of errors that would render the virus nonfunctional. In other words, its a fully functional and infectious virus.
And having old copies of a retrovirus in our genome has no bearing on whether a resurrected version of it could infect us- most retroviruses insert copies of themselves for reproduction into our DNA at random locations, rendering any previous copies irrelevant. Even those that do show some specificity of insertion site show specificity only on the order of what region of a chromosome they insert into- even with an old copy or two in a targeted region there's still a surfeit of room for new, functional copies.
26
posted on
04/10/2007 4:55:03 PM PDT
by
verum ago
(The Iranian Space Agency: set phasers to jihad!)
To: LibWhacker
Calling the U.N. Calling the U.N
Ongoing biological weapons research - Germ warfare alert.
27
posted on
04/10/2007 5:09:17 PM PDT
by
MrBambaLaMamba
(Buy 'Allah' brand urinal cakes - If you can't kill the enemy at least you can piss on their god)
To: LibWhacker; All
YEah, lets bring back old dead viruses that could kill all of humanity.
Smart.
I am sure they are taking precautions, but this is still rather freaky.
28
posted on
04/10/2007 5:12:38 PM PDT
by
rwfromkansas
(http://xanga.com/rwfromkansas)
To: America_Right; narby
Not only is he right, but he’s also bright. No place for the around here.
29
posted on
04/10/2007 5:45:50 PM PDT
by
ASA Vet
(http://www.rinorepublic.com)
To: ASA Vet
No place for the that around here.
30
posted on
04/10/2007 5:54:50 PM PDT
by
ASA Vet
(http://www.rinorepublic.com)
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