An eye-opening new study from genetic scientists at the University of Colorado-Boulder has discovered something surprising and alarming about some mysterious foreign DNA found in the human genome. This DNA was introduced into the genomes of human ancestors tens of millions of years ago by ancient retroviruses, and has survived intact even into the modern age. In the past most of this genetic material was dismissed as “junk” DNA, meaning it was thought to stay inactive and not contribute to human development or metabolism in any way. But in a new article just published in Science Advances, the UC Boulder scientists demonstrate that at least some of this DNA plays a vital role in the growth and proliferation of cancer cells, which means this incredibly old DNA is also incredibly dangerous when it is activated. “Our study shows that diseases today can be significantly influenced by these ancient viral infections, that until recently very few researchers were paying attention to,” study senior author Edward Chuong, an assistant professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology, explained in a University of Colorado-Boulder press release. Read moreRead Later