Flies That Are Gene Stealers
Many plants protect themselves by producing toxins that act as natural pesticides. But that strategy didn’t work in whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci), because about 35 million years ago, they acquired a gene that neutralizes toxins. Flies acquire this gene, scientists in China have discovered, by “stealing” the gene from plants, perhaps when feeding on plants infected with the virus. This is one of the first known cases of functional gene transfer between plants and animals.