Washington DC, May 23 -- A new study proves that a type of genetic element called 'introners' is the mechanism by which many introns spread within and between species.

It also provides evidence of eight instances in which introners have transferred between unrelated species in a process called 'horizontal gene transfer,' the first proven examples of this phenomenon.

DNA is the genetic code that provides the biological instructions for every living species, but not every bit of DNA helps the species survive.

Some pieces of DNA are more like parasites, along for the ride and their own survival.

To translate DNA into proteins, the building blocks of life, many of these selfish DNA elements have to be removed from the genetic code.

Doing...