Virolution product reviews

When we hear the word 'virus' we are immediately filled with negative connotations. Computer viruses (or virii, to be more technically correct) attack our PCs and steal or damage important data, while organic virii attack our immune systems and cause illness and possibly even death. However, very few of us are aware that the main purpose of a virus is simply to inject a piece of DNA into the genome of another organism. Like any other things that have shaped our evolution, from the discovery of fire to the taming of electricity, this can have positive and negative effects, depending on the circumstances. As one of Dan Brown's characters said in The Lost Symbol, "The guardian angel of one side is seen as a destroying demon by the other".

Virus involvement in evolution has been pretty much ignored until fairly recently, when their impact and inclusion in the genome of a large number of species has been confirmed, in the form of Endogenous Virus code. Basically, you could think of it like this: The genome is a sequence of basic instructional building blocks. The vitrus comes along and inserts all or part of itself into the genome, thus becoming part of the instruction set when the organism replicates. The offspring now have a new feature, be it positive or negative... an internally-induced mutation if you will. The benefits or penalties of the mutation will become evident over time, and those for whom it serves some beneficial effect will continue to propagate, and those for whom the results are unstable, unpleasant or just plain unfortunate, will fail to reproduce and die off within a generation or two. Darwinian selection in action on another scale.

Human Endogenous RetroVirii, or HIRVs, have been known about for quite a while but no-one has really explored their possible effects on the early evolution of humanity, and other species by correlation. This struck me as amazingly strange, since anything that affects the DNA will affect the genetic evolution of the offspring - it could hardly be otherwise. If you alter a knitting pattern, you suddenly end up with a third sleeve, no neck, or a different pattern... you can't expect to change the instructions without affecting the results... and yet, science blinded itself for many years to this obvious fact, because it didn't 'feel right' the the pack leaders.

Overall, though this title may be hard reading for many, it is an interesting insight into the author's discoveries, journeys, conversations and inspirations relating to this fledgling field of research. It is written in a first-person narrative style that makes it a come across as a cross between a diary and a lecture, for me. I found it very accessible, and a fascinating read. Though I have a historical interest in the biological sciences, genetics and microphagic studies, I still found a lot of new information, and the historical narrative was fascinating to read, showing, as it did, that an off-handed comment at the right time to the right receptive mind can open whole new avenues of research.