Horizontal gene transfer

Horizontal gene transfer is when genes from one organism are sent to another organism, but they are not related to each other like a mom and her children. It's like when two kids are playing and one kid shares a toy with the other. The toy was originally the first kid's but now the second kid has it too.

In the same way, genes can be moved between organisms through different methods like bacteria, viruses, or even insects. Sometimes, when they move from one organism to another, they can change how the receiving organism behaves or even give them a new trait.

It's important to understand this concept because it affects many things in the natural world like how bacteria evolve and become resistant to antibiotics or how some insects can spread diseases to plants. Scientists study horizontal gene transfer because they can learn a lot about how organisms adapt and evolve over time.