How a virus is protecting koalas

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Koalas in the north of Australia are being struck down by bacterial and viral diseases. Koalas in the south are doing much better. Researchers comparing the genomes of both populations of these iconic marsupials might have found the reason why. Virologists, Dr. Rachel Tarlington and Professor Jonathan Ball, at Nottingham University discuss how a retrovirus embedded in the koala’s genome could be imparting protection. Photo: Koala's © Jan Woitas/AFP/Getty