However, genetic material has the ability to be taken up by various organisms that exist within an abiotic medium through natural transformations that may occur.
[2] Thus, this field of study focuses on interaction, exchange, and expression of genetic material that may not be shared by species had they not been in the same environment.
This field of study began to become more popular following the 1980s with the development of polymerase chain reaction (PCR 1985) and poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis (p. 1967).
[6][7] With this technology, segments of DNA could be sequenced, amplified, and proteins produced using bacterial transformations.
This DNA exchange, or horizontal gene transfer, may provide various species of bacteria with the genetic information they need to survive in an environment.