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How We Catch Genes From Other Species

think.kera.org 10

Through research spanning the last four decades, scientists have discovered that our DNA isn’t just inherited from ancestors. In fact about eight percent of the human genome comes from viruses. Science journalist David Quammen joins us to explore horizontal gene transfer and discuss whether it redefines our place in nature. His new book is “The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life” (Simon & Schuster).