Viruses shuttle bacterial genes around, but conversely, bacteria can often take up genes from the viruses they harbor. Indeed, one can start to envision phages less as discrete entities and more as fluid conveyors of genes in an ecosystem. In combination with their extreme abundance, phages create countless genetic variations on which natural selection can act; they are the infinite number of monkeys typing randomly for an infinite number of years to produce biological drama that is on par with the best Shakespeare play. In some cases, it may actually be more beneficial to the host to allow phage infection than to develop resistance, and many bacteria freely “borrow” viral genes to better ensure their own survival—such as viral genes encoding photosynthesis proteins in cyanobacteria, which keep the cells alive, allowing them to produce more virions even when their own machinery has begun to fail. Viruses can also carry genes that facilitate cell-to-cell interaction and colonization—such as genes for the adhesion molecules and tail fibers of V. cholerae.10 Furthermore, despite their limited capsid size, phages often carry extra and seemingly irrelevant morons, which can range from various virulence factors to genes that code for defensive proteins that mimic bacterial defense mechanisms.11 Phages can even carry the entire genome of another phage.