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Quote by Carl Zimmer

“Viruses don't just make us sick. They can actually sometimes end up in our genomes.”

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Carl Zimmer is a renowned science writer, born on July 13, 1966. His work spans a wide range of scientific fields, from biology to environmental science, and is known for its clear and engaging writing style. more

“Over millions of years the viruses in our genome mutate more and more so the look less and less and less recognizable as viruses and so if there was a virus that infected our pre mammal ancestors like 250 million years ago, which it probably did, we can't see it because it just looks totally random.”

Ifs Years Looks Millions Years Ago Ancestor Viruses Mammals Genome

Author:Carl Zimmer

“It used to be thought that only a certain kind of virus could get into our genome and it's called a retrovirus and that's a virus that might be HIV for example.”

Kind Might Used Certain Example Used To Be Viruses Hiv Genome

Author:Carl Zimmer

“Borna virus is not a retrovirus. It doesn't actually insert its own genes into our cells. What it does is just hangs out near our DNA and uses some of the molecular machinery to copy itself.”

Doe Use Cells Copies Hanging Out Genes Dna Machinery Viruses Insert

Author:Carl Zimmer

“We have Borna virus genes. We're part Borna virus, which is weird, but apparently our cells and our genomes in a weird way might actually be grabbing these viruses, grabbing genetic material from the viruses that are infecting it and pulling them into their own genome.”

Way Might Materials Cells Genes Pulling Viruses Grabbing Genome

Author:Carl Zimmer

“We may be sucking in all sorts of viruses and we really don't know the full range of them. Maybe we've got flu virus inside of us. That's a possibility. Maybe we're part flu.”

Knows May Possibility Range Viruses Flu

Author:Carl Zimmer

“The only kinds of ways we have to deal with viruses are old school, so vaccines for example are very effective, but the first vaccines were invented in the 1700's, so we're talking about technology that is over 200 years-old.”

Way Years Firsts Kind School Deals Talking Technology Example Viruses Vaccines Old School

Author:Carl Zimmer

Quote by Carl Zimmer

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