HIV Older Than Once Thought

by Jessica

The HIV virus, which becomes AIDS, possibly dates back to 1900, which is 30 years earlier than researchers originally thought. The Los Angeles Times reports that University of Arizona researchers studied biopsy samples in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Scientists say the virus was first found in chimpanzees but they were unsure when it made the leap from monkeys to human. The first humans were diagnosed in 1981, but the oldest evidence of the disease in man dates back to 1959.

What does this mean for us humans? Hopefully knowing more about where the virus originated, how it spread and any possible mutations it underwent along the way will give researchers clues about beating the epidemic.

Remember to protect yourself: get tested often and wear condoms, kids!