Nature Podcast · Springer Nature Limited

Ancient viral DNA helps human embryos develop

·34 min·3 clips

Raquel Fueyo explains how a viral DNA sequence switches on a primate-specific gene essential for early human embryo growth.

This episode explores how ancient viral DNA sequences in the human genome regulate embryo development, using CRISPR and blastoid models to reveal their role in controlling primate-specific genes. It also covers advancements in DNA-based computing powered by heat, with additional segments on Huntington's disease gene therapy and mitochondrial DNA inflammation.

As heard by us

Ancient viral DNA, embryo development, and heat-powered DNA computing in one brisk science listen.

Ancient viral DNA makes for a science story that looks backward to help explain what may be happening at the start of human life now. The episode follows evidence that an ancient viral infection appears to matter for human embryo development, and it keeps the evolutionary angle…

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Ancient viral DNA, human embryo development, and a heat-powered DNA computer.

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