Long dismissed as “junk,” viral fragments buried in human DNA may help regulate our genes, according to a new international study co-led by Guillaume Bourque, professor in McGill’s Department of Human Genetics, D2R-funded researcher and member of the D2R Research Steering Committee and Executive (RSC). The findings offer new insights into what makes us human, 25 years after the human genome was first mapped.

Classified as: DNA analysis, External, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Guillaume Bourque, evolution, D2R
Published on: 29 Jul 2025

Fragments of ancient viral DNA once dismissed as “junk” may play a role in controlling our genes, according to a new international study.

Using a novel method to trace the evolutionary history of viral DNA, researchers from McGill University and Kyoto University uncovered sequences that had been overlooked in earlier genome annotations.

Classified as: Guillaume Bourque, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, DNA analysis, evolution
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Published on: 21 Jul 2025
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