Three new members have been isolated and added to the Pandoravirus family by researchers at the Structural and Genomic Information Laboratory (CNRS/Aix-Marseille Université), working with partners at the Large Scale Biology Laboratory (CEA/Inserm/Université Grenoble-Alpes) and at CEA-Genoscope. This strange family of viruses, with their giant genomes and many genes with no known equivalents, surprised the scientists when they were discovered a few years ago. In the 11 June 2018 edition of Nature Communications, researchers offer an explanation: Pandoviruses appear to be factories for new genes—and therefore new functions. From freaks of nature to evolutionary innovators, giant viruses continue to shake branches on the tree of life.