A Novel Method of Genomic Analysis to Determine Virus Origins

Overview

Ever since the SARS -CoV-2 (“Covid-19”) pandemic, interest in viruses has drastically increased. While viruses have been a subject of historical research, significant gaps remain in our understanding, particularly regarding their origin. This research inves tigates three commonly accepted theories on virus origin. The first theory includes the progressive hypothesis, which states that viruses escaped through horizontal gene transfer from their host cells. Then, the regressive hypothesis states that viruses “lost” essential genes over time, becoming an intracellular parasitic organism dependent on hosts for replication. The virus-first theory states that viruses originated before cells, and although much debate has occurred on this theory, it has still not been officially disproved, which is the reason behind its inclusion in this research study. This research was done with Homo sapiens and Felis catus genomes. Using the Mean Squared Error test and other statistical methods to compare the level of genetic simila rity between viral genomes, this study concludes that the progressive theory is the best fit for viruses that affect the immune system. The new method of genomic analysis used in this research can be repeated with the genomic sequences of any virus to help scientists determine a more comprehensive evolutionary timeline. This can help with the creation of better immune system defenses against these viruses and vaccine development, improving global health worldwide.

Competition history

• JSHS 2024 Category not listed

Resources

• National JSHS abstract book ↗

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