Discovery of 119-million-year-old selfish genes in yeast illustrates how parasitic DNA impacts genome evolution

Meiotic drivers are a type of selfish gene. Present in the genomes of nearly all species, including humans, they unfairly transfer their genetic material to more than half of their offspring, sometimes leading to infertility, and decreased organism health. Because of their parasitic potential, their longevity over evolutionary time was believed to be short-lived, until now.