H5N1 Evolution Via Recombination in Niger

Bad news for people hoping to never catch the bird flu. Good news for those looking for newsworthy examples of evolution in action.

Recombinomics:

The Qinghai strain is expanding its geographical reach and acquiring
new polymorphisms. Moreover, the Qinghai isolates are recombining
with each other and evolving rapidly

According to Recombinics:

To rapidly evolve, viruses use recombination, which involves swapping of genetic information within specific genes. This is accomplished by a copy choice method in cells infected by two distinct viruses.

Gee, that does not sound very encouraging.

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