Virus Stole a Human Gene and Won't Let Go of It

Commenters focused on the finding that a poxvirus captured the human BC200 gene, treating it as another example of viral or transposon-driven genetic exchange. One commenter cited work linking adaptive immunity (RAG recombinase) to transposon domestication and shared the Science paper on BC200 escape; another pointed out that molluscum contagiosum is a known infection per the CDC but hadn’t been tied to human genes before. Some objected to language like “theft,” with one saying “genes” aren’t owned, and others questioned background claims such as whether V(D)J recombination derives from viruses or transposons, asking for verification. A separate commenter flagged an unrelated report about infection-cancer links in microbes.

Opinion divided sharply over paywalls and sharing. Several commenters demanded bans on paywalled links, calling such posts effectively ads, while others defended posting paywalled stories if they’re trivially bypassable under site rules and noted moderators often elevate bypass links. Some readers posted archive.today proxies to sidestep the Times paywall; others protested that those proxies impose problematic captchas or DDOS-related behavior. A side dispute touched on tactics: people argued about whether submitters should include bypass links, whether posting multiple accounts to present different bypasses happened, and whether comment rules around paywall-cutting links are enforced consistently.