Leuven, Belgium - VIB researchers linked to K.U.Leuven and Harvard University show that stretches of DNA previously believed to be useless 'junk' DNA play a vital role in the evolution of our genome.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Our DNA contains remnants of ancient viruses that embedded themselves into our genetic code. - TanyaJoy/iStockphoto/Getty Images ...

Ancient viruses left a legacy in your DNA. And it turns out, that legacy may be helping shape who you are. A recent international study has shown that certain bits of ancient viral DNA, long dismissed ...

Around 45 percent of human DNA is made up of transposable elements, or TEs—genetic leftovers from now-extinct viruses that scientists once believed to be “junk DNA.” But that view is changing, and a ...

The human genome is chock full of what scientists once considered "junk DNA." This DNA is actually something called transposable elements, or TEs. These are repetitive sequences found in the genome ...

One person’s junk is another’s treasure. An international team of scientists have found that strings of “junk” DNA in the human genome that were previously written off as having no useful function are ...

Imagine the human genome as a string stretching out for the length of a football field, with all the genes that encode proteins clustered at the end near your feet. Take two big steps forward; all the ...

In this episode of Tiny Show and Tell Us, we cover exciting new 'living robots' called xenobots — made from frog cells with the help of a supercomputer — and what they might be used for down the road.

The human genome is made up of 23 pairs of chromosomes, the biological blueprints that make humans … well, human. But it turns out that some of our DNA — about 8% — are the remnants of ancient viruses ...