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.
Good on ya!!
Woo-hoo!
Four more boxes are unpacked and sent to the dumpster. A few things are set on my DiL Shelf (she built it!) above the sink, but I’m still looking for other things that I really wanted to put on it because they’re blue and white.
Anyway, a little progress is better than none at all. Maybe tomorrow will find me making more progress. I hope. Tomorrow is the “cleanliness” inspection. In other words, is my apartment fit to live in? NOPE!
I’m checking things off the list. Doesn’t look like I’ll get a nap today, but that’s okay. I’ll sleep better tonight if I’ve checked things off the list!
I don’t know if I’ll get anything done tomorrow, but I might! My biggest decision is going to be whether to have the bookcases face out or towards each other. Hmmm...
We’ll see how I feel in the morning.
Lists and their items must be checked off!!
I cooked some beef and potatoes in the crockpot, and now I’m making rice for the kids to eat with it. Looking forward to an early bedtime!
Jake is setting on the table waiting for the beef to arrive. He has taken to sleeping on Shannon’s sleeping bag, which is super rude.
I want some beef and barley! I have some Cache Valley (UT) barley and I’m dying to try it. Since we’re being inspected (once again) tomorrow, I can’t decide if I want to put something in the crockpot or not. It would make the place smell good, however, so there is that!
The barometer that I hung up this morning is earning its keep. It’s indicating that the millibars are dropping. I knew that.
Jake is very rude to sleep on Shannon’s sleeping bag. Perhaps she needs to give him a piece of her mind, in true Shannon fashion.
Shannon has been giving all of us a piece of her mind all day. What a grump!
I just checked another thing off my list. One of the remaining items is a letter to my friend in Arkansas.
Shannon is probably cranky about being an old lady. Maybe her arthritis is bothering her, as well. Not to menion Jake being on her sleeping bag.
Wow! Aren’t you the efficient one?
I’ve decided, if I really get busy, I can get most of the books unpacked tomorrow. I’ll see what happens and how I feel!
And then, maybe, I can get that article copied and ready for mailing! (With an added bonus or two!)
Hi-ya. Hope your day went well; I was just leaving when you popped in this morning.
Yes, pretty well. I’m looking forward to settling down in my pajamas under my heated blanket to read a book for a little while.
You?
Looks like the week is going swimmingly, and it’s only Tuesday. Maybe tomorrow I’ll remember to text my hairdresser.
I don’t know about “swimmingly,” but I’m working on it! As long as life doesn’t throw me any curves in the next week, I’ll be OK, I think, and might even make this place look almost like home! A sofa will be needed before “home” can be achieved, though, so we’ll see. I need room for it, first!
I just checked the prices at the local rent-to-own, and they aren’t even realistic! Fahgeddaboutit! Overstock is much better by about 1/6th the price!
Anyway, bedtime. I need to read for a while, so I’ll see you in the morning.
Sleep well!
Good morning. Happy Humph Day!
Even though it got below freezing yesterday and the complex left a lot of slushy snow in our parking lot, the dog and I managed to find lots of safe places to put our feet. It’s supposed to be warm until Sunday, then we get cold again.
F-I-L had a good visit with his wife yesterday. Mrs. ArGee said he was in a much better mood going home than he’s been all week. Bonus, they don’t have to take another COVID test until Thursday or Friday (I can’t remember which). I don’t think they’re making the trip today.
Today’s puzzle was a real puzzler. 4 letters, all in the wrong place, and my mind was tied up in knots trying to think of options. I was even going to throw in an elimination word, but I couldn’t think of any that would give me enough new letters. Then the answer hit me and, “Why was that even hard?” Ohwell.
Wordle 235 4/6
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟨🟨🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Ditto me, but in six.
Gorgeous kitteh today!
I hope you slept well.
I have a few things to put away after my shower but may or may not be productive today. It just feels like one of “those” days. Unngh.
Couldn’t go faster than the speed of sound until some scientists and engineers built a plane with the right shape and power plant to do so. Science advances, new knowledge is learned. Wouldn’t surprise me one bit if All life on earth came from off the planet.
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