A new study from the Hurley lab reveals how an early-human mutation may have protected us from the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), perhaps giving us an advantage over other primates in early evolution. "The main importance for this paper is that it tells us what was one of the last major barriers before the crossover to humans happened... [it] is an archeological look at how this happened," explained James Hurley, the lab's P.I.

Even though the SIV virus differs in several ways from the HIV strains that affect humans, they are hopeful these findings can help pinpoint targets for drugs as researchers search for AIDS cures. 

Read the full story...

Get the preprint here.