Bacteria have several ’parasexual’ processes that can introduce foreign DNA into their chromosomes. Non-microbiologists often assume that these processes exist for the same reason as eukaryote sexual reproduction but this important assumption has not been properly tested. If these processes did evolve because making new combinations of genes is beneficial, then studying them could shed light on the evolution of sex in eukaryotes. If they do not, as my research indicates, then a successful explanation of the evolution of sex must be built on features not shared between bacteria and eukaryotes.