A team of researchers has discovered that a bacterial parasite (called Wolbachia) can insert almost its entire genome into the genomes of members of one host species (a fly called Drosophila ananassae), and can insert parts of its genome into the genomes of members of several other host species. This artist's interpretation shows Wolbachia as it enters the host cell, and then Wolbachia DNA is incorporated into DNA of host cell. To read more about the research, see www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=109957

Credit: Nicolle Rager Fuller, National Science Foundation