Millions of years ago, the Reapers built the Mass Effect Relays and left them behind for future civilizations to use and study. The hope was to force those civilizations down a technological path which, while far more advanced than what came before, was ultimately inferior to the tech used by the reapers themselves.
Thousands of years ago a species called the Asari rose to sentience. Due to the high concentration of Element Zero on their home planet, every Asari is born with the natural ability to create and manipulate Mass Effect fields -- they had this ability before discovering their Mass Effect Relays.
Why did the same technology develop separately in these two places?
Is there an in-universe explanation beyond "It was a big ol' coincidence"?
Is there an out-of-universe explanation? I can't think of a story reason for the Asari's natural abilities need to usehave a natural ability that depends on the same phenomenon as Reaper tech. Did there used to be a reason that was later overwritten as parts of the lore were changed between games?