Reviving ancient viruses can help fight modern ones
Insights from evolution can also improve vaccines
Humans work hard to dodge viruses. Sick people are quarantined, diseased livestock are killed and fields of infected crops set ablaze. All for good reason. Viruses are everywhere: from snowy mountain-tops to grimy lake floors. Bringing old ones back to life seems like an idea from science fiction. Resurrecting an ancient virus would surely be a disaster.
But a new study led by Steven Fiddaman of the University of Oxford, and published in Science, defies this conventional wisdom. It shows how the resurrection of an ancient strain of virus can unlock the secrets of its evolution—and even improve the health of chickens today.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline "Mysteries from the past"
From the December 23rd 2023 edition
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