From these facts, evolutionists argue that these retroviruses are shared by humans and primates because they were inherited by a common ancestor. However, in making this inference, they ignore the observed fact that many retroviruses can infect both humans and apes. The most notable of these is [[HIV]], which is widely believed to have originated as [[SIV]] in chimpanzees, but can also infect humans and other monkeys.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5012268.stm</ref> It is entirely possible, therefore, that humans and apes were ''independently infected'' with the same virus, and therefore shared endogenous retroviruses do not provide any meaningful evidence of common ancestry. | From these facts, evolutionists argue that these retroviruses are shared by humans and primates because they were inherited by a common ancestor. However, in making this inference, they ignore the observed fact that many retroviruses can infect both humans and apes. The most notable of these is [[HIV]], which is widely believed to have originated as [[SIV]] in chimpanzees, but can also infect humans and other monkeys.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5012268.stm</ref> It is entirely possible, therefore, that humans and apes were ''independently infected'' with the same virus, and therefore shared endogenous retroviruses do not provide any meaningful evidence of common ancestry. |