In the photo: The same mouse lemur.
When and under what circumstances the immunodeficiency virus left its mark in the genome of the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) is a mystery to scientists, but they hope that studying this issue will help solve a more pressing problem: how to cope with the AIDS epidemic among humans. The fact is that these rare primates, apparently, have developed immunity to the immunodeficiency virus
The remains of an ancient retrovirus were discovered by virologists while studying an endangered primate species that lives in Madagascar. According to scientists, the virus penetrated into the DNA of lemurs in ancient times and left hereditary information in it. Meanwhile, traces of retroviruses can be found in the genome of almost any biological species. However, it is rather difficult to say exactly when a particular virus manifested itself.
It is assumed that the pSIVgml lentivirus already existed when Madagascar split from the African mainland. In that case, pSIVgml, the progenitor of modern HIV, would be at least 65 million years old. However, according to virologists at Stanford University