https://www.live-feeds.com/feed/an-ancient-virus-in-chimpanzee-dna-switches-off-a-gene-that-is-active-in-humansContinuously updated, source-cited coverage. https://www.live-feeds.com/feed/an-ancient-virus-in-chimpanzee-dna-switches-off-a-gene-that-is-active-in-humanshttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/an-ancient-virus-in-chimpanzee-dna-switches-off-a-gene-that-is-active-in-humans#u159636Wed, 28 Oct 2026 09:16:31 +0000An ancient viral insertion in chimpanzee DNA switches off a gene that remains active in humans during early brain development. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden demonstrate that a prehistoric pandemic dating back several million years may explain differences in brain evolution between humans and chimpanzees, despite sharing more than 96 percent of their protein-coding sequences. The human brain grows to roughly three times the size of a chimpanzee brain and performs distinct cognitive functions. When scientists removed the viral insertion in chimpanzee cells, it restored gene expression