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.
Tom needs to get a job. Vlad said he backed and turned successfully. They can do it again over the weekend.
See?
See #1180, Bikkuri! What a find!
Thanks, Covenantor!
Tom will find a job. I don’t think he likes to be idle, so he may just get “something to tide him over” until the real thing comes along.
I’m glad to hear Vlad backed and turned successfully! Fun times!
Since I didn’t sleep well last night, I’m heading for bed, now. I hope you have a good night, with or without cats, and regardless or in spite of that Other Person. See you in the morning!
(snerk)
Thank you hon ;^)
Good morning. Jake was hassling me about whose bed it is. I got up and found the coffee pot full of hot water: I forgot to put the coffee in last night. Unngh.
Good morning. Happy Friday!
We had a tropical 23 fs this morning. I don’t think this storm that is threatening NYC is going to bother us.
Wordle 223 5/6
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Happy Friday! I don’t know what it’s like outside, but it’s cold in the house. I’m going to put my boots on.
What a sweetie! Stalking through the primrose jungle!
Good morning.
I don’t wanna be here! I need to wait a few more minutes and then I’ll go shower. When I get back, I’ll be writing to Charlie.
Miserable night.
Unngh.
I did that “no coffee in the basket” thing when we were headed west for sea duty once again. If ever there was a morning when I needed coffee, it was that morning. My FS’s dad had given me an OTC sleeping pill which kept me awake all night, so when I got up, I was stupid. At least you aren’t driving! (He slept like a rock and got up ready to fight the day.)
Sorry you had a miserable night. Enjoy the shower. I need to get on the treadmill and then buckle down to science-team prep.
Yes, those people who “slept like a rock” through everything, including their own yelling, punching, and kicking, are hard to deal with in the morning.
There was a Homer Simpson meme about Wordle on Facebook yesterday, posted by niece in Idaho. I think she and her sisters are all playing it. Probably their kids as well!
I haven’t don’t today’s yet, as I’m waiting for the phone to charge.
Your temp isn’t much different than mine. *shiver*
Yes they are, and the worst part is that they can’t figure out why you’re upset.
Now, I’m off to the shower! See ya in a bit!
Hmm, just not that common around these parts I guess...
Wow, I had no idea those types of symptoms were present... puts the “struggle” in a new light.
I’m so sorry the night was miserable. Hopefully “here” will soon be a good place to be.
Mrs. ArGee discovered a bag of coins that her mother had been keeping that she could barely lift. This has, if nothing else, given F-i-L something to do since he’s determined to get them all wrapped and in the bank. Mrs. ArGee is certain that when M-i-L comes home and sees what has been done she will never admit to needing medical care ever again and have to be removed from the house kicking and screaming.
Good Morning!
Good that you won’t be catching that storm.
Tough start on the Wordle front...
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(I need to stop trying these when I am in a rush mode!)
My phone is out of whack. I need to download some more whack for it.
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