Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Katamirand t1_izp0k2n wrote

Reply to comment by Galaxy-Hitchhiker42 in How did viral DNA become part of the human genome? by emelrad12

Mutations are just natural mistakes that happen when replicating DNA. There’s so many bases to read that a mistake every now and then is inevitable. It happens a lot more than you’d think, but you only notice when a section of DNA that is important gets screwed up. There are huge stretches of DNA that don’t code for anything in humans, including the viral DNA that was introduced long ago.

12

outlogger t1_izp4t7d wrote

The function of the DNA you referred to, that used to be called ‘junk DNA’, is still subject to research. It might not code for known proteins our bodies make under conditions that are so far researched but to say it doesn’t code for anything, I would say is wrong since we don’t know. Also, humans have inherited viral DNA that is a functional part of our genome, often functioning only if triggered by certain factors.

7