I had actually posted this same thread a while ago, but sadly it drowned underneath the many other threads on this boards so I suppose I shall post it again. I have namely been thinking recently about the Bdelloid Rotifers and how interesting these creatures actually are. Despite reproducing solely asexually (the entire species is female), this resilient organism has survived for millions of years and can now even survive the most extreme situations such as complete dessication or freezing. Now, naturally, the Bdelloid Rotifer gets damaged in these situations, but here comes the twist that is also the reason for their resilience and survival for all this time.

These organisms can transfer genes horizontally. After their genome gets damaged in these extreme situation, when again put into a 'healthy' situation the Rotifers take in surrounding DNA (of other beings and the like) to repair their own genome. This way, despite their asexual reproduction, a lot of genetic variation still exists between populations and even individuals. Now here is where my idea comes in. What if one would artificially desiccate or freeze a Rotifer,, and then put it into a controlled environment with only the genes you wish to inject (let's say luciferase for the sake of clarity), would one technically be able to genetically modify the Bdelloid Rotifer like this to one's liking? I'm also thinking of researching this myself once this Corona thing finally ends. Any input, ideas, questions, etc. would be really appreciated! Thanks in advance, anons!