DNA is the blueprint of humans and almost every other organism on Earth. A highly complex strand of genetic material, virtually every single cell in a person's body has the same DNA. So this begs the question: What is DNA composed of, and where does it come from? Dr. John Coffin, an American Cancer Society Research Professor and Distinguished Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, joins us to explain…

Dr. Coffin is a veteran policy analyst who has helped advise the National Cancer Center's Center for Cancer Research director, among other prominent institutions. With a passion for understanding how retroviruses interact with their host cells and organisms, he is at the forefront of DNA research – a field that highlights the intricate mechanisms of evolution.

Dive in now to learn about:

• What endogenous retroviruses are, and how they interact with DNA material.
• How retroviruses replicate.
• The ways that mutations can disrupt the functioning of certain genes.
• What happens when retroviruses are removed from an organism's DNA.

How do viruses interact with human DNA? What can this tell us about the epigenetic landscape of our past? Click play to see for yourself!

You can find out more about Dr. Coffin and his work here.

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Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9