“Alien Biology” Discovered: Bacteria’s Floating Genes Leave Scientists Baffled

Columbia researchers found that bacteria create temporary, free-floating genes outside their genome, a breakthrough that could reshape genetics and gene therapy.
Since the genetic code was first deciphered in the 1960s, our genes have appeared like an open book. By interpreting our chromosomes as linear sequences of letters, akin to sentences in a novel, we can identify the genes within our genome and understand how changes in a gene’s code influence health.

This linear rule of life was thought to govern all forms of life—from humans down to bacteria.

But a new study by Columbia researchers shows that bacteria break that rule and can create free-floating and ephemeral genes, raising the possibility that similar genes exist outside of our own genome.