On episode #91 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Dickson, Alan, Rich and Welkin discuss the nature, origin, and evolution of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), and the recent finding of endogenous filovirus genomes in mammals.

Host links Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Welkin Johnson

Links for this episode:

• Welkin blogs at Small Things Considered
• Constructing primate phylogenies from ancient retrovirus sequences (PNAS)
• Filoviruses are ancient and integrated into mammalian genomes (BMC Evol Biol)
• Synthetic cells: Momentous breakthrough or ethical morass? (To The Point)
• Creation of a bacterial cell (Science)
• Comments on the synthetic cell (Small Things Considered)
• TWiV rap: T-Number Index by G-Unit (mp3) and Vincent (mp3) (thanks, Darrick and Scott!)
• Letters read on TWiV 91

Weekly science picks:

Welkin - Advice for a Young Investigator by Santiago Ramon y Cajal Rich - How microbes define and defend us Dickson - H1N1 virus lacks 1918 virus killer protein Alan - The Xtal Set Society Vincent - Antibodies and the quest for an AIDS vaccine