Middle East Chronicle
Inside Matters
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Beirut
September 16, 2026

J. Thomas Beatty

Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia

How bacteria hijack viruses to shuffle their own DNA

How bacteria hijack viruses to shuffle their own DNA

Bacteria have transformed some viruses — now called gene-transfer agents — into a means of exchanging genetic material among themselves.

J. Thomas Beatty·16 Sept 2026