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Songbird Fossil Virus May Help Predict Pandemics

Posted by samzenpus on from the oldest-medicine dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers announced they found a fossil virus hiding in the most unexpected place: the chromosomes of several songbird species. This ancient virus resembles human hepatitis B virus. Finding this ancient virus will catalyze new lines of inquiry that may help scientists predict and prevent future human viral pandemics that originate in birds."

3 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. Just like cyclical development by eqreed · · Score: 3, Funny

    Quote: "But when deactivated fragments of these viral freeloaders reside in a host's genome for millions of years"

    Don't you hate it when no one cleans up the unused code?

    1. Re:Just like cyclical development by FooAtWFU · · Score: 3, Funny
      Nonononono! Don't delete that line! That could be a load-bearing comment!

      ;)

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      The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
  2. Re:Ugh, boring. by Tangentc · · Score: 4, Funny

    Way to not invent a hover-board again science.

    I love that this comment implies that the /. user base would not only like scientific research to favor the production of trivial amusement devices rather than preventing massive death tolls from illnesses, but would prefer that those amusement devices be almost suicidal to use.

    --
    Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.