# Starving E. coli Shuffle Their DNA Using Viruses and CRISPR — a Primitive Kind of Sex

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1 outlet covering · First listed: Scientific Inquirer, Nov 9, 2026, 1:00 PM · Read it: <https://scientificinquirer.com/2026/11/09/starving-e-coli-shuffle-their-dna-using-viruses-and-crispr-a-primitive-kind-of-sex/>

ISTA researchers found starving E. coli use bacteriophages and CRISPR-Cas defences to shuffle DNA between cells at over 100 times the spontaneous background mutation rate.

## Who's covering it

In the order they published:

- Nov 9, 2026, 1:00 PM: [Starving E. coli Shuffle Their DNA Using Viruses and CRISPR — a Primitive Kind of Sex](<https://scientificinquirer.com/2026/11/09/starving-e-coli-shuffle-their-dna-using-viruses-and-crispr-a-primitive-kind-of-sex/>) — Scientific Inquirer
  ISTA researchers found starving E. coli use bacteriophages and CRISPR-Cas defences to shuffle DNA between cells at over 100 times the spontaneous background mutation rate.