Many ancient viruses were passed on to modern humans by our archaic ancestors, Neandertals and Denisovans. Millions of years old, they were, until recently, considered extinct. However, in 2016, an intact fossil virus was discovered in the human genome. (https://phys.org/news/2016-04-ancient-retrovirus-human-dna.html)
Is the newfound activity of this virus simply the harmless death cry of an ancient retrovirus spiraling toward extinction? Some scientists believe that. Others scientists fear it may be the Loch Ness Monster of the human genome.
Both groups understand that the history of a long-term “evolutionary arms race” is written in the human body, and the winner of that arms race is still in question.
The key concepts you will find in this story are not fiction. HERV-K, Homo erectus, Denisovans, the Marham-i-Isa, and the InPho program, among others, are real.