Why are evolutionary biologists bringing back extinct deadly viruses?

That's an interesting question. See also the audio interview, in which the author "discusses what retroviruses can teach biologists about how humans evolved, and how they may hold the key to conquering AIDS and other diseases." See also coverage in Discover, complete with electron micrographs.

I especially liked this anecdote:

Harmit Malik grew up in Bombay and studied chemical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology there, one of the most prestigious technical institutions in a country obsessed with producing engineers. He gave no real thought to biology, but he was wholly uninspired by his other studies. "It was fair to say I had little interest in chemical engineering, and I happened to tell that to my faculty adviser," he recalled. "He asked me what I liked. Well, I was reading Richard Dawkins at the time, his book 'The Selfish Gene'” -- which asserts that a gene will operate in its own interest even if that means destroying an organism that it inhabits or helped create. The concept fascinated Malik. “I was thinking of becoming a philosopher," he said. "I thought I would study selfishness."

Malik’s adviser had another idea. The university had just established a department of molecular biology, and Malik was dispatched to speak with its director. “This guy ended up teaching me by himself, sitting across the table. We met three times a week. I soon realized that he was testing out his course on me. I liked it and decided to apply to graduate school -- although I had less than a tenth of the required biology courses. I had very little hope." But he had excellent test scores and in 1993 was accepted at the University of Rochester, as a graduate student in the biology department. He visited his new adviser as soon as he arrived. "He looked at my schedule and said, 'I see that you are doing genetics.' I had no clue what he was talking about, but I said sure, that sounds good. I had never taken a course in the subject. He gave me the textbook and told me that the class was for undergraduates, which made me feel more comfortable." It wasn’t until the end of the conversation that Malik realized he would be teaching the class, not taking it.

Here are a few papers:

Discovery and analysis of the first endogenous lentivirus

The lentiviruses are associated with a wide range of chronic diseases in mammals. These include immunodeficiencies (such as HIV/AIDS in humans), malignancies, and lymphatic and neurological disorders in prim... [ Read More (0.5k in body) ]