Ancient viral DNA appears to silence a chimp gene active in human brain cells

Science News reports that viral DNA left by an infection in an ancestral African ape 5 million to 7 million years ago silences the gene LINC00662 in chimp cells. The gene is normally active in human brain cells. When researchers activated it in chimp or human cells, they saw increased activity in genes involved in neuron development. It remains unclear how this difference affected chimp brains or whether it helped shape the evolution of human and chimp brains.