Posted on 12/29/2021 5:57:37 AM PST by Red Badger
A summary of decades of research on a rather 'out-there' idea involving viruses from space raises questions on just how scientific we can be when it comes to speculating on the history of life on Earth.
It's easy to throw around words like crackpot, rogue, and maverick in describing the scientific fringe, but then papers like this one, from 2018, come along and leave us blinking owlishly, unsure of where to even begin.
A total of 33 names were listed as authors on this review, which was published by Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology back in August 2018. The journal is peer reviewed and fairly well cited. So it's not exactly small, or a niche pay-for-publish source.
Science writer Stephen Fleischfresser goes into depth on the background of two of the better known scientists involved: Edward Steele and Chandra Wickramasinghe. It's well worth a read.
For a tl;dr version, Steele is an immunologist who has a fringe reputation for his views on evolution that relies on acquiring gene changes determined by the influence of the environment rather than random mutations, in what he calls meta-Lamarckism.
Wickramasinghe, on the other hand, has had a somewhat less controversial career, recognized for empirically confirming Sir Fred Hoyle's hypothesis describing the production of complex carbon molecules on interstellar dust.
Wickramasinghe and Hoyle also happened to be responsible for another space biology thesis. Only this one is based on more than just the origins of organic chemistry.
The Hoyle Wickramasinghe (H-W) thesis of Cometary (Cosmic) Biology makes the rather simple claim that the direction of evolution has been significantly affected by biochemistry that didn't start on our planet.
In Wickramasinghe's own words, "Comets are the carriers and distributors of life in the cosmos, and life on Earth arose and developed as a result of cometary inputs."
Those inputs, Wickramasinghe argued, aren't limited to a generous sprinkling of space-baked amino acids, either.
Rather, they include viruses that insert themselves into organisms, pushing their evolution into whole new directions.
The report, titled "Cause of Cambrian Explosion – Terrestrial or Cosmic?", pulls on existing research to conclude that a rain of extra-terrestrial retroviruses played a key role in the diversification of life in our oceans roughly half a billion years ago.
"Thus retroviruses and other viruses hypothesized to be liberated in cometary debris trails both can potentially add new DNA sequences to terrestrial genomes and drive further mutagenic change within somatic and germline genomes," the authors wrote.
Let that sink in for a moment. And take a deep breath before continuing, because that was the tame part.
It was during this period that a group of mollusks known as cephalopods first stretched out their tentacles from beneath their shells, branching into a stunning array of sizes and shapes in what seemed like a remarkably short time frame.
The genetics of these organisms, which today include octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish, are as weird as the animals themselves, due in part to their ability to edit their DNA on the fly.
The authors of the paper make the rather audacious claim that these genetic oddities might be a sign of life from space.
Not of space viruses this time, but the arrival of whole genomes frozen in stasis before thawing out in our tepid waters.
"Thus the possibility that cryopreserved squid and/or octopus eggs, arrived in icy bolides several hundred million years ago should not be discounted," they wrote.
In his review of the paper, medical researcher Keith Baverstock from the University of Eastern Finland conceded that there's a lot of evidence that plausibly aligns with the H-W thesis, such as the curious timeline of the appearance of viruses.
But that's just not how science advances.
"I believe this paper justifies skepticism of the scientific value of stand alone theories of the origin of life," Baverstock argued at the time.
"The weight of plausible, but non-definitive, evidence, great though that might be, is not the point."
While the idea is as novel and exciting as it is provocative, nothing in the summary helps us better understand the history of life on Earth any better than existing conjectures, adding little of value to our model of evolution.
Still, with solid caveats in place, maybe science can cope with a generous dose of crazy every now and then.
Journal editor Denis Noble concedes that 'further research is needed', which is a bit of an understatement.
But given the developments regarding space-based organic chemistry in recent years, there's room for discussion.
"As space chemistry and biology grows in importance it is appropriate for a journal devoted to the interface between physics and biology to encourage the debates," said Noble.
"In the future, the ideas will surely become testable."
Just in case those tests confirm speculations, we recommend being well prepared for the return of our cephalopod overlords. Who knows when they'll want those eggs back?
This research was published in Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology.
A version of this article was first published in August 2018.
Sometimes, one of the first changes in mental status that we notice in a person is excessive irritability. Another change manifests in a decrement in coping skills. Example: A person who always hit the ground running and landed on his feet is flummoxed by something that would not have been a challenge earlier.
Apologies if someone has already addressed this. I'm still struggling to catch up with things. P.S. More prayers up.
D’afternoon to you too!
I have two starter words that use all 5 full-time vowels and 5 common consonants. The only time I haven’t started with both of those is when the 1st word had 4 letters in the right place for that day.
Still, I have a tendency to pick a 3rd word that is more obscure than the winning word. When I finally find the winning word it’s always, “Why did you think of that other word before this one?” But, there you go.
Good to see you, T-c! It’s good to be synchronized with at least one of the other undead (s?). Hopefully, Patrick took the byos somewhere?
My weather beeber is saying it will be down to 4 fs tonight, then -4 fs tomorrow night.
HEY! GLOBULL WARMING! OVER HERE!!!!
Ooh—synchronized with two UTers? This is my lucky day!
Well, look what the cat brung in.
Hi, SG. How’s trix?
Gotta take trash out and check mail now. SY’all L.
Trix are for kids (therefore, in my wheelhouse considering second childhood and all).
Or as I call it.... Thursday.
Glad to still be incrementing my annual peregrination around our solar Primary... Just hitting a few bumps along the way.
I have hit the jackpot—so good to see you! How’s life treating you and yours?
I found them. Vlad had fallen asleep on the sofa. He’s very inconspicuous.
Whereas, James with his hair....
Cold is relative. I think it’s cold when the temp drops below 85°. And then there’s the cold where you are. *shudder*
Me? Like a piñata at a heavy weight boxers drunken birthday bash.
Kids are ok. Extended Family is in various states of disarray, but still extent on the material plane... So there’s that.
The most recent kerfluffle came on Saturday. My Niece is getting married and was to take my 2 Daughters Bridesmaid dress shopping on this Saturday past... As they were leaving their house to come to mine, they were held up by a traffic accident.
It turns out, my Nephew, had left their house mere minutes before and with his usual lack of common sense or driving skills managed to get into an offset head-on collision from cutting a corner too closely. Ended up in the hospital with a complete femur break. Spent the night in there and had a 3 hour surgery to implant a rod and some screws in said leg.
I plan on making it a running joke to attempt to stick magnets to him for the rest of my, or his, life.
How are things in your world?
James’s hair almost needs its own room.
No wonder I don't spend more time with my relatives. It's currently 0oF here right now... Was -17oF when I woke up this AM.
Ay yi yi—poor nephew. I broke my fibula in two places last January and it was a major inconvenience. Fortunately, I have terrific neighbors who kept bringing food over ‘til I begged them to stop lest my next couturier be Omar the Tentmaker.
At least one member of every branch of the family is in a state of major disrepair (major organ failure, degenerative neuromuscular conditions, etc.) You roll with the punches.
Was the shopping trip successful? Are the dresses gorgeous? Are the young ladies ecstatic?
Like Bruce Campbell’s chin needing its own zip code.
Wow! I forgot what it was like to put a heated dip stick in the oil pan!
Yeah, and I’m far enough away from my relatives that they’re all about lukewarm!
Other than cold, how are things?
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