http://uncnews.unc.edu/2015/11/23/a-huge-chunk-of-a-tardigrades-genome-comes-from-foreign-dna/
It was recently found out that the extremophile, the tardigrade, gets 17.5% of its DNA from foreign organisms, more than any other extremophile found. Other species, non-extremophiles, have about 1% foreign DNA, usually around our 'crevices' where we interact most with the outer world. It's quite interesting the way extremophiles have to adapt to their extreme environments, and they suggest above that "Tardigrades not only can repair their own damaged DNA as the cell rehydrates but also stitch in the foreign DNA in the process, creating a mosaic of genes that come from different species," from the University of North Carolina.
It was recently found out that the extremophile, the tardigrade, gets 17.5% of its DNA from foreign organisms, more than any other extremophile found. Other species, non-extremophiles, have about 1% foreign DNA, usually around our 'crevices' where we interact most with the outer world. It's quite interesting the way extremophiles have to adapt to their extreme environments, and they suggest above that "Tardigrades not only can repair their own damaged DNA as the cell rehydrates but also stitch in the foreign DNA in the process, creating a mosaic of genes that come from different species," from the University of North Carolina.
