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HIV Tracking Technology Could Pinpoint Who's Infecting Who

Daniel_Stuckey writes "No man is an island, but evolutionarily, each person functions like one for the HIV virus. That's according to Thomas Leitner, a researcher working on a project aimed at creating technology for tracking HIV through a population. The technology, which is being studied at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, may allow people to identify who infected them with the virus, a development that could have major implications in criminal proceedings. "If you're familiar with Darwin's finches, you have a population of birds on one island and they keep moving and evolving as they spread to other islands so that each population is a little different," Leitner said. "With HIV, it's the same. Every person infected with HIV has a slightly different form of the virus. It's the ultimate chameleon because it evolves this way.""

4 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. Sorry, but... by broginator · · Score: 5, Informative

    whom*

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    s/[stupid comments]/[intelligent discourse]/gi
    1. Re:Sorry, but... by Thanshin · · Score: 5, Funny

      Unless they were talking about identifying who infected The Doctor.

  2. Actually, you can become infected more than once.. by Ellis+D.+Tripp · · Score: 4, Informative
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    Remember "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters"? Help make it a reality again! http://soylentnews.org
  3. Grammar by Laxori666 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Surely you mean who's infecting whom? Let's get our priorities straight: grammar first, world-changing health improvements second.