McClintock's jumping genes explain why Indian corn kernels come in so many different colors.

FORBES: Magazine Article

"Maybe it's around 30-40 million years ago, but we cannot say because jumping genes do not give this information, " Dr Schmitz told BBC News.

BBC: Australia's marsupials 'have American roots'

Yet there are no substantiated reports of antibiotic-resistance genes jumping from a plant to a bacterium.

ECONOMIST: Development and the environment

The mouse work also showed that the retrotransposons were jumping mainly into genes that are active while precursor cells are changing into their destined cell types.

ECONOMIST: Brain development may be influenced by genetic parasites

When jumping into another virus, they may bring those host genes with them.

ECONOMIST: Foulpox