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19 search results for "endogenous retroviruses"

Endogenous Retroviruses Help Fight Tumors

Blog by ( November 3, 2021 )

I recently watched the trailer for Eternals, an upcoming movie release from Marvel Studios. A creation of legendary comic writer and artist Jack Kirby, the Eternals made their first appearance in Eternals #1, published by Marvel Comics in July 1976.As a race of humanlike beings created by aliens called the Celestials, the Eternals possess godlike powers. The Celestials created the Eternals to serve as Earth’s guardians, protecting humans from the Deviants, who are also a creation of the Celestials. Sometimes referred to as “mutates,” the Deviants have a humanoid form but are hideous in appearance. The Deviants are …

Biochemistry

Endogenous Retroviruses (ERVs) Protect Early-Stage Human Embryos

Blog by ( August 25, 2021 )

Why do so many people think that human evolution is a valid idea?

Recently, I came across an article that explains why. The article argues that junk DNA found in the human genome is evidence for evolution and against creation.

Argument for Common DescentThis piece was written for Skeptical Inquirer by Stanley Rice, a professor of biological science at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.1 The article presents a well-written and lay accessible case for common descent and our shared evolutionary ancestry with the great apes. Not surprisingly, the crux of Rice’s case rests on shared DNA sequences found …

Biochemistry

Koala Endogenous Retroviruses (ERVs) Protect against Retroviral Infections

Blog by ( April 28, 2021 )

… metabolizes the toxins in their diet. Koalas spend most of their “waking hours” sleeping because it helps them conserve the little energy they glean from their diet. Some biologists believe that they also sleep for long periods of time because some of the compounds found in eucalyptus leaves are narcotics.

Retroviruses Threaten Koala Survival

Sadly, conservation biologists think that koalas are in danger of extinction. Habitat destruction along with brushfires and drought caused by climate change threaten these creatures. But so does an infectious agent, called the koala retrovirus (KoRV). Some biologists believe that this virus causes koala immunodeficiency syndrome …

Evolution
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Questioning Evolutionary Presuppositions about Endogenous Retroviruses

Publication by ( December 7, 2017 )

In a 2006 lecture at Emmanuel College, Cambridge,1 Dr. Graeme Finlay, an immunologist, cancer biologist, and Christian, made some remarkable observations about the genetic similarities of human and nonhuman primate (NHP)2 genomes. He drew the conclusion that these similarities presented incontrovertible genetic evidence for the common ancestry of humans and other primates.3 In doing so, Dr. Finlay employed his expertise in cancer biology to explain the evidence for common descent. I found his presentation compelling.
Much of what goes into scientific hypothesis formation and experimental design is based on assumptions and facts resulting from previous observations and …

Biology
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Questioning Evolutionary Presuppositions about Endogenous Retroviruses

Blog by ( December 7, 2017 )

In a 2006 lecture at Emmanuel College, Cambridge,1 Dr. Graeme Finlay, an immunologist, cancer biologist, and Christian, made some remarkable observations about the genetic similarities of human and nonhuman primate (NHP)2 genomes. He drew the conclusion that these similarities presented incontrovertible genetic evidence for the common ancestry of humans and other primates.3 In doing so, Dr. Finlay employed his expertise in cancer biology to explain the evidence for common descent. I found his presentation compelling.
Much of what goes into scientific hypothesis formation and experimental design is based on assumptions and facts resulting from previous observations and …

Evolution

Insights about Suppressyn Support Creation Model View of ERVs

Blog by ( March 22, 2023 )

… of every class of junk DNA has accrued over the last 20 years.

Not long ago, most biologists would have ignored the so-called junk DNA sequences in genomes. Today, biologists now deliberately and systematically investigate the different types of junk DNA sequences to understand their function. In fact, biomedical researchers are now looking for ways to take advantage of this growing understanding of junk DNA’s physiological roles to diagnose and treat diseases.

The change in perspective regarding endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) exemplifies this about-face.

ERVs bear strong sequence similarity to retroviruses. But because these genetic sequences are found

Evolution

Endogenous Retrovirus Expression Evinces Design

Blog by ( July 6, 2022 )

… weren’t junk at all. 

Scientists studying genomes are learning the same lesson I learned all those years ago as a budding graduate student. Sometimes things that appear to be junk are there for a reason. Biologists have long thought that many of the sequence elements in genomes, such as endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), are nothing more than useless junk—the vestiges of an evolutionary history—because they occur in an unfamiliar and unexpected context.

ERVs bear strong sequence similarity to retroviruses, but biologists initially deemed ERVs junk because they are found in genomes, instead of in viral capsids. Yet, life …

Biochemistry

SARS-CoV-2 Biology Points to Endogenous Retrovirus Design

Blog by ( July 28, 2021 )

… DNA sequences can be transcribed, producing viral RNA that is detected by PCR tests.This important insight adds to our understanding of the biology and replication cycle of SARS-CoV-2. It also holds significance for assessing the performance of antiviral therapies.This discovery also has unexpected significance for the RTB creation model. It suggests a possible explanation for the presence of sequence elements called endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) in the human genome (and the genomes of other organisms). Many people regard the ERV sequences in the human genome as the most compelling evidence for human evolution. But, instead of baffling

Biology
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Stars, Cells, and God | ERVs and Embryo Development and Just the Right Amount of Water

Multimedia by ( April 24, 2024 )

… physiological role of ERVs suggest another interpretation for why they appear in the human genome. In this episode, biochemist Fuz Rana discusses the latest insight into ERV molecular biology and explores the question, “Can a creation model explain the occurrence of ERV sequences in the human genome?”

References:

PODCAST LINK:

Endogenous Retroviruses Shape Pluripotency Specification in Mouse Embryos

Additional Resource:

Insights about Suppressyn Support Creation Model View of ERVs

YOUTUBE LINK:

Sergio de la Rosa et al., “Endogenous Retroviruses Shape Pluripotency Specification in Mouse Embryos,” https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adk9394

Fazale Rana, “Insights about Suppressyn Support …

The Design of ERVs and AI, Optimism, & Long Life | Stars, Cells, and God

Multimedia by ( February 15, 2023 )

… biochemist Fuz Rana discusses the latest insight into ERV molecular biology, exemplified by the ERV-encoded protein supressyn, and explores the question: “Can a creation model explain the occurrence of ERV sequences in the human genome?”
Resources:
Evolution and Antiviral Activity of a Human Protein of Retroviral Origin
Additional Resources:
Endogenous Retroviruses Help Fight Tumors
Endogenous Retroviruses (ERVs) Protect Early-Stage Human Embryos
AI, Optimism, and Long Life
In an era where AI developments show great potential and great peril, ongoing research indicates that optimism plays an important role in increased longevity and health. These results affirm a repeated refrain …