Early observations of selfish genetic elements were made almost a century ago, but the topic did not get widespread attention until several decades later. However, when genes have some control over their own transmission, the rules can change, and so just like all social groups, genomes are vulnerable to selfish behaviour by their parts. Genomes have traditionally been viewed as cohesive units, with genes acting together to improve the fitness of the organism. Selfish genetic elements (historically also referred to as selfish genes, ultra-selfish genes, selfish DNA, parasitic DNA, genomic outlaws) are genetic segments that can enhance their own transmission at the expense of other genes in the genome, even if this has no or a negative effect on organismal fitness.
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