Bacteria get pieces of DNA from outside their bodies

In an astonishing new video, a bacterium

 reaches out into space, snatches a piece of DNA and stuffs that DNA into its own body. Its appendage, much longer than its own body, wanders and bends a little but seems to move with intention toward its target. And the whole act is part of the microbe's effort to evolve.

The video is the first direct observation of bacteria using appendages called pili to "harpoon" loose DNA and incorporate it into the bacteria's own genetic structures. It shows how the single-celled organisms pull off a neat trick called "horizontal gene transger" that lets them adapt quickly to new environments. This would be a bit like if a person who's allergic to pollen needed only to reach out, snatch some loose flesh from a nonallergic friend and swallow it to get through spring without sneezing.

Researchers already knew that bacteria needed their pili to pull off horizontal gene transfer, but they'd never seen the maneuver in action, in part because the pili are too tiny to easily observe through a microscope. A single pilus, according to the videographers, is less than one-ten-thousandth the width of a human hair. And the hole the bacteria use to haul the loose DNA into their own single-celled "bodies" is "almost the exact width of a DNA helix bent in half," the researchers said in a statement. .

So, to record the video, the researchers dyed the pili of Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium responsible for cholera, with fluorescent dye. The dye also covered the bacteria and the loose DNA. Then, the researchers stuck the bacteria and stray DNA under a regular microscope and waited to see what the now-glowing organism would do.

Reproduced from:
 https://www.livescience.com/62797-dna-harpoon-bacteria-evolution-horizontal-transfer.html
https://www.livescience.com/62797-dna-harpoon-bacteria-evolution-horizontal-transfer.html

Biological evolution develop paths that are marked in the genes of the successive species and that define certain anatomical structures and physiological functions that are printed in all the derived genomes.
For example, when the first tetrapods (four-legged vertebrates) were defined from the ancient Tetrapodomorpha, which in turn evolved from the old finfish-lobes (Sarcopterygii), about 390 million years ago (in the Devonic period) the bone structure of all the vertebrates that succeeded them was defined. 

Thus, batrachians, dinosaurs, various reptiles, birds, mammals, including primates, all have four limbs based on similar structures. These determined the various ways of moving that have all tetrapods: walking, jumping, swimming, crawling, flying,, adapting the limbs for different functions. 
The limbs were transformed into legs, wings, fins or similar organs. In all of them, the articulated components were preserved, allowing the development of their functions.

The conclusion I want to make is that there is no "reverse" in the evolution of vertebrates. In some cases the limbs are atrophied because they are not necessary, they remain as vestiges of the old structures and even disappear (eg the snakes).
Similar situations occur with other components of anatomical structures or physiological functions, such as digestive and circulatory systems, nervous system, etc.
In the development of the human brain the same type of processes occur. There is a "reptilian" brain in the interior, a mammalian brain around and finally a cortex that responds to the most recent anthropic evolution.
In all these cases, it is noticed that the original designs established certain patterns that were conserved as the genomes evolved. But there was no change in basic design or reverse. Only readaptations and aggregates.
One of the main reasons for this to occur in this way is that the evolutionary changes are gradual and that in the successive series of changes each intermediate genome has to give rise to viable individuals. In other words, intermediate genomic individuals must all be viable, capable of competing in the natural environment and therefore capable of reproducing.
An analogy can be made in the development of urban matrices of cities.
Many modern cities developed in times when the transport routes (roads, streets) were adapted to the means of transport corresponding to the time.
Thus, the first roads (for carts, riders, errands) were traced avoiding flood areas (small glens and water courses, marshes) and steep reliefs (ravines, rocky hills, etc.).

When the city grew old wagon roads became streets and avenues. In some cases, its route was modified, but frequently it continued giving rise to streets and avenues with sinuous trajectories. The most modern streets in later developments were designed according to particular local plans, often in the form of checkerboard or other geometric modalities.

This happened because it is difficult to substantially modify the urban basic plan of the cities.
As time passes the radical changes that would be required would be very onerous and there would be social and / or political resistance to carry them out. And so in many cities certain avenues remain with different curvilinear paths to the adjacent streets that are only explained by historical reasons ..
In Montevideo, this is the case of Avenida Agraciada (old carriageway to the west) and 8 de Octubre Avenue - Maldonado Road (carriage road east). The Rivadavia avenue in Buenos Aires was in historical times (century XVIII) the Camino Real towards the west (road of carretas).

In Toronto, Canada (a city where I lived a few years ago) there is a street called Dundas that has similar characteristics showing that in the past it had been a west-east carriageway.
In the cities that were planned since its founding (La Plata in Argentina, Brasilia in Brazil), urban matrices have not undergone major changes, but in practice constitute a small minority in contemporary urban landscapes.

In evolution (of the species) there is no reversal
Danilo Anton

The biological evolution develop paths that are marked in the genes of the successive species and that define certain anatomical structures and physiological functions that are printed in all the derived genomes.
For example, when the first tetrapods (four-legged vertebrates) were defined from the ancient Tetrapodomorpha, which in turn evolved from the old finfish-lobes (Sarcopterygii), about 390 million years ago (in the Devonic period) the bone structure of all the vertebrates that succeeded them was defined. 

Thus, batrachians, dinosaurs, various reptiles, birds, mammals, including primates, all have four limbs based on similar structures. These determined the various ways of moving that have all tetrapods: walking, jumping, swimming, crawling, flying,, adapting the limbs for different functions. 
The limbs were transformed into legs, wings, fins or similar organs. In all of them, the articulated components were preserved, allowing the development of their functions.

The conclusion I want to make is that there is no "reverse" in the evolution of vertebrates. In some cases the limbs are atrophied because they are not necessary, they remain as vestiges of the old structures and even disappear (eg the snakes).
Similar situations occur with other components of anatomical structures or physiological functions, such as digestive and circulatory systems, nervous system, etc.
In the development of the human brain the same type of processes occur. There is a "reptilian" brain in the interior, a mammalian brain around and finally a cortex that responds to the most recent anthropic evolution.
In all these cases, it is noticed that the original designs established certain patterns that were conserved as the genomes evolved. But there was no change in basic design or reverse. Only readaptations and aggregates.
One of the main reasons for this to occur in this way is that the evolutionary changes are gradual and that in the successive series of changes each intermediate genome has to give rise to viable individuals. In other words, intermediate genomic individuals must all be viable, capable of competing in the natural environment and therefore capable of reproducing.
An analogy can be made in the development of urban matrices of cities.
Many modern cities developed in times when the transport routes (roads, streets) were adapted to the means of transport corresponding to the time.
Thus, the first roads (for carts, riders, errands) were traced avoiding flood areas (small glens and water courses, marshes) and steep reliefs (ravines, rocky hills, etc.).

When the city grew old wagon roads became streets and avenues. In some cases, its route was modified, but frequently it continued giving rise to streets and avenues with sinuous trajectories. The most modern streets in later developments were designed according to particular local plans, often in the form of checkerboard or other geometric modalities.

This happened because it is difficult to substantially modify the urban basic plan of the cities.
As time passes the radical changes that would be required would be very onerous and there would be social and / or political resistance to carry them out. And so in many cities certain avenues remain with different curvilinear paths to the adjacent streets that are only explained by historical reasons ..
In Montevideo, this is the case of Avenida Agraciada (old carriageway to the west) and 8 de Octubre Avenue - Maldonado Road (carriage road east). The Rivadavia avenue in Buenos Aires was in historical times (century XVIII) the Camino Real towards the west (road of carretas).

In Toronto, Canada (a city where I lived a few years ago) there is a street called Dundas that has similar characteristics showing that in the past it had been a west-east carriageway.
In the cities that were planned since its founding (La Plata in Argentina, Brasilia in Brazil), urban matrices have not undergone major changes, but in practice constitute a small minority in contemporary urban landscapes.

Our small progenitors

A description of panspermia to explain life on Earth

Our small progenitors brought the life designs in their long and twisted spirals.
They could reproduce millions of copies almost identical and only transmit forward those stronger, more efficient, more beneficial features.
Some millions years later they managed to harness the energy of the star system where the planet was orbiting to build their own bodies and to use the atmospheric gases as the basic components of their living matter.
Often the tiny organisms came together to improve their adaptation to the environment. They formed numerous partnerships in which each adopted a particular function. Protected in the crowd they managed to help each other in the difficult task of survival.
Each generation recorded the experience of success and failure. Codes became rich in new information about the blue planet and they were learning and passing on what they learned.
Gradually they occupied all the planetary liquid spaces from the high clouds to the hot water in the cracks of the rocks.
And the planet began to live differently.
They seemed to have a strategy, and perhaps they had one, embedded in ancient inherited millions of instructions from other worlds.
Through their metabolism they changed the gases in the atmosphere, continuing to build their bodies with the help of the central stellar light or other sources of energy from the depths.
Thanks to these changes they managed to keep the temperature of the air and waters relatively stable.
As the central star, which later was going to be called “the sun”,   gradually warmed, they created a global system, allowing the cooling of the atmosphere, keeping it within appropriate limits for life. In the meanwhile they developed new systems to promote learning and improve future adaptations.
There were now thousands or millions of copies almost identical which became divided into two complementary halves.
These two halves joined in different ways to ensure the transmission of traits and genetic changes. In that way it was possible to give rise to more complex organisms
One of these halves, called “female” was devoted to gestate eggs and produce new offspring, and the other, the male counterpart was dedicated to cooperate in various ways for their formation and growth. In  this manner many variants were emerging.
Some species grew to gigantic sizes, formed for associations of billion microorganisms in their aqueous spiral wraps, while others were kept separate, as in the old days.
Most living associations continued floating or swimming at all levels of seas and lakes, some groups tried to get out of the water and dragged through the dry earth with their fluid bags in tow.
They also developed roots that grew into the soil to absorb moisture and raised their leaves skyward for light and the precious air gases.
These complex associations where trillions of tiny snakes, grouped, grew and died, replicated in increasing number and in each generation they learned many things which were transmitting to the next.
The whole planet was alive, beating to the rhythm of new life attempts and explorations.
From "Peoples, Drugs and Serpents", Danilo Anton, Piriguazu Ediciones