# How Genes Can Leap From Snakes to Frogs | Quanta Magazine  ## About - Author: Veronique Greenwood - Title: How Genes Can Leap From Snakes to Frogs | Quanta Magazine - Tags: #articles #science - URL: https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-genes-can-leap-from-snakes-to-frogs-20221027/ ## Highlights Unlike bacteria, viruses have a real knack for picking up genes from their eukaryotic hosts. Viruses, particularly the ones called retroviruses, have the tools for getting into a host’s cells and nuclei, and they are masters of inserting genetic material into host genomes. Up to 8% of the human genome is made up of the leftovers of retroviruses, fragments of long-ago infections in our species’ history. ---