Interspecific interactions that affect ageing: Age-distorters manipulate host ageing to their own evolutionary benefits

•Genetic causes of cell/organismal ageing external to a focal species may be neglected.•Many age-distorters may interfere with ageing in other species for their own interest.•Co-evolution/arms races with age-distorters would affect genetics of ageing evolution.•Genes in viruses, parasites or symbionts may often turn hosts into disposable soma.•Modelling age-distorters can expand the scope of major non-adaptive theories of ageing.