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

(nytimes.com)

54 points | by gumby 1 day ago

6 comments

  • pazimzadeh 3 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

  • initramfs 3 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 4 hours ago
    This must be microbe awareness day.

    Earlier iirc someone posted

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

  • odmcownckexnn 56 minutes 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.

    • creatonez 44 minutes 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 42 minutes 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 28 minutes ago
          You say that like "commit a felony to read the article" isn't a valid option (/s).
      • ojihgfhoniyfc 39 minutes 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 32 minutes 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 0 minutes 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.

  • Daklone 1 hour ago
    Ah yes, the NYT paywall.

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

  • chedieck 2 hours ago
    Can't read through the paywall