Viruses Share Genes with Organisms across the Tree of Life (IMAGE)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau

Viruses Share Genes with Organisms across the Tree of Life

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A new study reveals that viruses share genes across the three superkingdoms of life, from the single-celled microbes known as bacteria and archaea, to eukarya, a group that includes animals, plants, fungi and all other living things. Most of this unusual sharing occurs between eukarya and bacteria and their viruses.

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Graphic by Julie McMahon

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Graphic by Julie McMahon

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