Forgot to add:
There is an evolutionary process analogous to how coins such as Bitcoin can borrow code from other coins and incorporate it their own. It's called horizontal gene transfer:
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) refers to the transfer of genes between organisms in a manner other than traditional reproduction. Also termed lateral gene transfer (LGT), it contrasts with vertical transfer, the transmission of genes from the parental generation to offspring via sexual or asexual reproduction. HGT has been shown to be an important factor in the evolution of many organisms.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_gene_transferhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_gene_transfer_in_evolutionSome phylogenetic trees of single-celled organisms show branches as "bridges" extending between two otherwise distantly related branches, i.e. the gene transfer is not always from parent to child:
if you were a developer would you go fiddling with the core source code of software that supports a multibillion dollar industry - not including the value of all the business built around it - if you thought there was even a small chance you could screw it up royally?