Genetic “parasites” known as retrotransposons become more active in all kinds of animals as they age, and this increased activity shortens lifespans. Now, an animal study has shown this ageing effect isn’t a result of mutations to the genome as previously thought, but could be a result of the parasite activity triggering an immune response.
Original article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2352062-parasitic-dna-makes-us-age-faster-but-were-not-sure-why/
