Evolution: Genetic Evidence - Endogenous RetroVirus

Evolution: Genetic Evidence - Ubiquitous Proteins

Excerpt from The Cassiopeia Project; "Facts of Evolution". The Full series can be found
at: http://www.cassiopeiaproject.com/vid_courses3.php?Tape_Name=Evolution

(Transcript of Video Below)

A third type of structure found within the genome
is also direct evidence of genetic relationships.

Retroviruses like HTLV1 (which causes a type of
leukemia) and AIDS make a DNA copy of their
own viral genome and insert it into their host's
genome. If this happens inside of sperm cells
or egg cells the retroviral DNA will be inherited by
descendants of the host. And these copies of
virus DNA are called endogenous retroviruses.

In human DNA, there are about 30,000 endogenous
retroviruses. There are at least seven distinct
instances of identical retrogene insertions shared
between chimps and humans.

The phylogenic tree for cats provide another
example. The standard phylogenetic tree has
small cats diverging later than large cats.
The small cats (e.g. the jungle cat, European
wildcat, African wildcat, blackfooted cat, and
domestic cat) share a specific retroviral gene
insertion. In contrast, all other carnivores which
diverged earlier lack this sequence.

Retrovirus Example

Let's examine how Endogenous RetroViruses
or ERVs would behave within a model of
evolution by common descent.

Suppose an ancient creature, let's call
it Primus Mammalius, is the common ancestor
of all modern mammals and is infected by a
retrovirus that becomes endogenous.

All of the Primus descendants would be
expected to carry the same ERV lets call it
ERV1 in the same chromosomal location.

Fast forward 30 million years. Different
lineages have evolved and diverged from the
original common ancestor and there are
now many different types of mammal in existence,
all carrying ERV1. A small rodent, let's call it
Secundus Mousus, is the common ancestor of
mice and rats and once again is infected by a new
species-specific retrovirus that becomes endogenous.
This is ERV2.

In a different line, Secundus Apus, the common
ancestor of all great apes acquires a third
retrovirus, ERV3.

Moving forward 30 million years again, a
fourth ERV appears in mitochondrial Eve,
the common ancestor of all modern humas
Lets call it ERV4.

As early humans spread out, a fifth ERV
arises in a population that is isolated in Australia,
so ERV5 does not spread to other human populations.

So what would we expect?
Humans, chimps, mice and rats should
all possess ERV1.

The mouse and rat genomes will also
contain ERV2, the virus that infected their
common ancestor, but not the
primate-specific ERV3, ERV4 or ERV5 insertions.

All great apes will share an identical ERV3
insertion; all humans will also possess an
ERV4 insertion that is NOT found in chimps
or other apes.

In addition, some, but not all, humans will
carry an insertion of ERV5. And of course,
the rodent-specific ERV2 insertion will not be
found in any primate species.

Now that several genomes have been
sequenced, we have begun to test these
predictions.

The patterns of ERV insertions observed in
modern species exactly match the predictions
made by the model described above.

Some insertions are shared between
humans and mice and represent truly ancient
viral infections.

Others are found only in primates, and not
in other species, obviously derived from an
infection of the ancestral primate species after
its divergence from other lineages.

More modern insertions are found only in
humans, while the youngest ERVs of all are
found in some humans, but not in all.

We DO NOT FIND ANY examples of ERV
insertions shared by, say, humans and mice,
but not by chimps. Insertions are always
shared by all species, and only by those species,
that have a common ancestor. ERV insertions
therefore provide excellent support for the idea
of common descent.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Evolution
• Genetic
• Genome
• Fact
• Creationism
• Debunk
• Cassiopeia
• Project
• Proof

[acolony22]

Plus, aids, leukemia? They can be passed on to chimps other ways. Sorry evolutionists. Your still losing the battle. Besides, how could "prehistoric" man paint pictures of dinosaurs in caves if they've never seen them before? That right there proves your whole evolution religion wrong.

[troyboulay]

@acolony22 Well, how could the Chinese draw pictures of dragons if they've never seen them before.. so dragons must be real too. Since there are drawings of the flying spaghetti monster he must exist too, otherwise how could someone have drawn it .. you know, having not seen it. I keep telling myself that people can't be this stupid, and people keep proving me wrong.

[CarboniteRezinBones]

MY main problem with evolution is that all these videos are just 3-d images.No actual footage of what they are talking about.That and to many "if that happened then this must also" or "if you imagine that this is that well then of course"...

Where is some real proof not just some disney video of genomes on a computer?

[troyboulay]

@CarboniteRezinBones

In other diciplines people understand that some people know more than them, when these people "prove" something, other people (who know more than the public on the given subject) will check their work and expose any mistakes they've made. This is science and evolution is no different. Only with evolution people who know nothing, feel comfortable in saying "I don't believe in evolution..." then turn around and suggest that the alternative is simply ... magic.

[darkfur35]

evolution makes me fart.......evolution is silly.

[oneznzeroz]

Wow this video explained ERV's so well a creationist could understand it.

[omlas6]

@acolony22 evolution is real and its proven, your argument is invalid, get back in the closet

[WolverineNauru]

As a creationist, I believe this video is misleading to claim ERV proves Evolution! Show me a live human with an ERV rewritten genome (an evolved human). Some has ERV5 some has not? Does this set of genome exist today? Show me & I'll change faith as a creationist to Intelligent Designer (not Natural Selection) Furthermore if such complexity exists, did the big bang write these DNA? Is evolution merely MAGIC not science? ie. Nothing.. Bang!.. Complex Universe.. complex DNA sequences.. wow magic!

[LukeScientiae]

@troyboulay Exactly, and in 1000 more years archeologists will be digging up our graves and artefacts and see that we had DVDs of aliens, zombies and all the rest. So will they be entitled to conclude that aliens and zombies were around now? @acolony22 shows us how creationism makes people believe that the weakest of arguments is actually valid and disproves huge swathes of science. That is a failure of the education system to teach kids to reason well enough early enough.

[Casshyr]

Creationists: did you guys actually watch this video??? I'm looking at your comments and none of them address ErV...is your purpose here only to spread your shitty gospel?? jeebus!

[MrIhaveacat]

@acolony22 umm. actually ur just a religious fanatic

[ScootyPuffJr1212]

@acolony22 At this point in our history we have come to know many things about how the world works, including biology. There are many examples like the one in this video and much evidence to support the theory of evolution, as well as the scientific community backing it.

Now tell me, how can a rational thinking person reject all of this and instead take one of the many creation stories (that were told thousands of years ago by people ignorant of most of what we now know) as literal truth?