DARWIN’S RADIO: Ancient Virus Fragments in Our DNA Are Activating Where We Least Expect. “Scientists estimate about 8 percent of a person’s genome is made up of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). When alive and active, retroviruses have the ability to insert a template of their genome into the DNA of a host cell, adding to the set of genetic instructions that cell follows. Many HERVs have since gone extinct, but bits of their genomes – while no longer adding up to an infectious virus – can still influence our biology to this day. For both good and bad.”

And yes, activation of Human Endogenous Retroviruses was the plot device in Greg Bear’s Darwin’s Radio. Which was a pretty good book, as I recall. #CommissionEarned