ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Heterologous

Heterologous means taking something from one thing and putting it into another thing that is different.

Imagine you have a puzzle with different pieces that fit together perfectly, but then you take one piece from another puzzle that is different and try to fit it in. That is just like heterologous!

In biology, scientists can take a gene (which is like a puzzle piece) from one organism and put it into another organism. This is called genetic engineering, and it is like taking a piece from one puzzle and putting it in another.

For example, scientists could take a gene from a fish that allows it to survive in very cold water, and put that gene into a strawberry plant so the plant can also survive in the cold.

So heterologous is just taking something from one thing and putting it into another different thing.
Related topics others have asked about: