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Virus Stole a Human Gene and Won't Let Go of It

66 points by gumby 2 days ago | 21 comments

pazimzadeh 6 hours ago

Seems par for the course since our adaptive immune system is based on an old viral/transposon recombinase.

Transposon Molecular Domestication and the Evolution of the RAG Recombinase

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6494689/

Here is the actual study:

Escape of the BC200 gene to a human poxvirus reveals its persistent transposition in primates

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aeh3441

shevy-java 2 hours ago

Is VDJ recombination based on viruses or transposons?

It's the first time I hear this. Can't yet say much about it until I can verify that.

initramfs 6 hours ago

This brings a whole new meaning to sores. Has this infection been previously identified? Edit: Yes https://www.cdc.gov/molluscum-contagiosum/about/index.html

I guess it just hadn't been linked to human genes before.

readthenotes1 6 hours ago

This must be microbe awareness day.

Earlier iirc someone posted

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/cancer-infections-9.7361622

pxc 2 hours ago

I thought viruses weren't considered to be microbes. Was I mistaken? Is there a broader category that includes things like bacteria and also viruses?

chedieck 5 hours ago

Can't read through the paywall

MC995 5 hours ago

https://archive.ph/PpKtR

odmcownckexnn 3 hours ago

Can we please start banning articles with paywalls from being posted at all?

If I cannot read without a subscription (or a damn paywall removed), it shouldn’t be posted here. This is tantamount to posting an ad for an NYT sub.

Terr_ 2 minutes ago

[delayed]

creatonez 3 hours ago

The HN rules are that paywalled content can be posted only if it's trivially bypassable via a free tool. The NYTimes links work on fresh IP addresses as part of a free allowance for new readers, which is why the proxy-based archive website archive.today is able to get through. I'm not a big fan of this being allowed, but there is some thought to it at least, they aren't just allowing anything.

ectospheno 3 hours ago

It is a shame that the free tool of choice is a site that put a DDOS attack in its captcha. So my options are not read the article or... not read the article. Nice.

gpm 3 hours ago

You say that like "commit a felony to read the article" isn't a valid option (/s).

ojihgfhoniyfc 3 hours ago

That’d be sensible reasoning IF the articles were already posted with a paywall-free url, but they are not, so as it stands these are essentially just ads.

creatonez 3 hours ago

IIRC the staff will usually intentionally elevate bypass links to the top whenever they see them posted in the comments. (And when a link has already been posted they tend to sink comments like yours that complain without providing a link, lol)

kdkdkdkwkd 2 hours ago

Again, why not require the bypassed link right from the gate, then? You’d sidestep people complaining about it and wouldn’t little the comment section with people posting alternative links or asking for them.

NYT is the only one profiting getting free publicity for their subscription service here.

Aquitard 2 hours ago

Did you create three accounts just to reply? And if so why not stick to just one?

gumby 2 hours ago

I speculated in a different reply that it’s to reduce dups. Two people could post the same article, but if they used different paywall-bypassers they would appear as separate submissions.

gumby 2 hours ago

My understanding is you’re not supposed to post paywall-cutting links but it’s ok to post them as comments. Perhaps to prevent dupes? Or perhaps there is no such rule.

Daklone 4 hours ago

Ah yes, the NYT paywall.

Here you go everyone: https://archive.ph/PpKtR

shevy-java 2 hours ago

There was no theft involved. "Genes" are not "owned".

AnimalMuppet 59 minutes ago

If the virus didn't evolve the gene on its own, then "stole" seems like a fair description of how it got it.

wormius 19 minutes ago

You wouldn't download a gene, would you?