19 Pieces Of Non-Human DNA Found In Human Genome

Eight percent of your DNA is alien, in that it’s made up of non-human, viral fragments. In fact, viral fragments are often hiding within the genome of anything on Earth that has a jaw and a spinal cord, which is a remarkable reminder of how they’ve shaped evolution for hundreds of millions of years.

A new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that we are even less “human” than previously thought: Nineteen new pieces of ancient viral DNA have been uncovered within our own genome. Perhaps most strikingly, the full genetic “recipe” for an entire virus was found within 2 percent of the people examined.

The Big Questions | IFLScience - IFLScience
Retroviruses of all kinds have their genetic code in the form of RNA, often seen as the primitive precursor to DNA. These viruses infect their host cells by inserting a DNA-based replica of their own RNA into the genome of their host, which can include humans. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an example of a contemporary retrovirus that infects humans in this way.

Ancient retroviruses have been ...

https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-m ... -your-dna/

Or, maybe, the definition of "human"needs to be examined.

Considering that we're supposed to be the result of evolution my reaction to the story is "only 19!!!!". I would have thought it would have been closer to all of it.