Given that Zeno doesn't seem to have any interest in arguing actual facts or anything even close to reality... I think my best advice at this point is: Don't feed the troll
Evolution. If they happen to help the species survive they will be passed on. Indicates evolution to me. Close, so close. They did not 'evolve', but if the ERVs happened to be beneficial or neutral they will be passed on. Simple. No magic required!
https://splice-bio.com/viruses-can-help-regulate-human-immune-system/ So, the ERVs just 'happened' to land near genes that are part of the immune system? The ERVs just 'happened' to evolve the ability to assist those genes in their task?
Now you got it! No, the ERVs did not evolve, as I just said in the previous post. ERVs, like a mutation, can be beneficial, detrimental or neutral. If they are beneficial or neutral then they will be passed on.
The probability that ANY given mutation can happen by random chance is very, very small. ERV's are detrimental to the organism. Therefore the organism will not keep such mutations. Thus the only way for them to show up in the genome is via a delivery mechanism from outside (like a retrovirus.)
I wouldn't call it 'prove'. More like 'suggests'. I don't believe that evolution is a fairy-tale, so I don't dismiss it. I think that it's probably the likeliest explanation. One needn't assume that humans and apes were "created separately". Even if humans and apes are different branches on the same phylogenetic tree, they might have been separately infected by similar retroviruses. There may be some other explanation for why the ERVs end up in similar locations on chromosomes. Perhaps those that ended up elsewhere had harmful effects that led to those individuals dying or failing to reproduce. Perhaps that particular location on a chromosome had some advantageous effect. Perhaps that particular location simply made it easy for the cell to inhibit virus replication and hence to prevent the cell from being lysed, releasing countless more virus particles. Chromosomes are exceedingly complicated things, with all kinds of molecular switches turning genes on and off. I don't think so.
He seemingly represents somebody trying to craft a scientific argument for "creation science". At the very least, his doing that gives board readers the opportunity to learn more about endogenous retroviruses and about what their evolutionary significance might be. I think that he represents a learning opportunity for everyone, if anyone on Sciforums is smart enough to grasp it.
I couldn't disagree more really, there's no point in even acknowledging these people. Take it as an opportunity to learn more of HERVs - sure, but religious fanatics will never learn.
Are ERVs that are unique to humans present in the entire human population? I couldn't find an answer to this question on the Internet.
Not read all of this but I would hazard a guess that yes they are If the link gives a yes answer OK. If it indicates only some humans sorry I steered you wrong The existence of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) has been known for many years [4], but their abundance in the genome was not predicted by earlier studies. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC138943/ Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
How is it possible for someone in the past to get infected with an ERV and now the ERV is in the DNA of every person on the planet?
As I've already pointed out here http://www.sciforums.com/threads/ervs-in-genomes-are-not-from-viruses.160063/ ERVs can't be from viruses since the probability of many homologous viruses between chimps and humans is basically zero. That's why I was curious if ERVs that are unique to humans are present in everybody on the planet.
This is a duplicate thread, identical to your earlier thread. The answers you get will also be duplicates. I will ask the mods to combine these two threads for you. You're welcome.
This study says the question is complicated, and the answer is yes and no: https://retrovirology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12977-015-0136-x