Retrovirus
From EvoWiki
A retrovirus is an RNA virus which integrates itself into a host genome by reverse transcription, to form a provirus.
There are four known human retroviruses, classified as HIVs and HTLVs, all of them attack T-helper cells.
What makes retroviruses relevant to the evolution/Creationism controversy: They alter DNA sequences in identifiable ways, these alterations are inherited by any descendants of the creature whose DNA was so altered, and (most significantly for this question) they don't care which part of the DNA they mess with. Thus, when we see exactly the same retrovirus-caused DNA alterations in several different species, this is good evidence that all of those species share a common ancestor from whom they inherited those particular DNA alterations. Creationism, on the other hand, cannot explain this at all.
External links
- Wikipedia: Retrovirus
- Kimball's Biology pages: Retrovirus
- Diagram of a retrovirus
- National Library of Medicine: Retroviruses
- Talk.Origins FAQ
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This page is part of the EvoWiki encyclopedia of genetics and molecular biology. Topics: Genetics - Transmission genetics - Molecular genetics - Population genetics - Quantitative genetics - Molecular biology - Genomics |
