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.
Suing President Burden would only work if the Courts would hold to the Constitution.
I’m afraid that ship has sailed.
In case you want an alternative to washing your hair in the shower.
FS is still good at sound effects, if he wants to do them. He graces me with several when we’re together and I never tire of the unquenchable good humor in the man.
It’s OK that you can’t describe it, because I heard it in my head, anyway, thanks to FS! He’s very good at copying noises!
Covid may not have killed many people, but it sure killed a lot of businesses.
And have you noticed? There is no more “flu.” It’s always a “new strain of Covid that’s worse than the last one so put your face diapers back on and get the latest vaccine that will actually kill you.”
Thanks! I used dry shampoo years ago, when it was first a “thing,” but haven’t even thought of it lately. (”They” say the brain is the first to go.)
I think I should get some, so thanks for the reminder!
I got it in four today, amazingly!
Ping to #1826
I’m back. My hairdresser didn’t show up. The others in the salon said she’s been missing appointments this week because her mother is in Hospice. Understandable. Another lady cut my hair, and it’s okay. If Karen had been there, I’d have had her do it shorter, but I’m cautious with someone who hasn’t done it before.
I have spent the morning puttering. I got the stuff moved back that I moved out to make way for the sofa/futon to be leaned against the wall for now, rearranged some stuff in the bathroom cubby, made the bed, sorted pills and did a mental plan for tomorrow, if I feel up to it.
Most of the stuff that needs doing requires standing and I’m not very good at that. I have to say, the Danskos make that a lot easier! Still, not for long periods, but for longer than without them, which really counts.
I also compiled a list for the supplement stash and realized that while most have gone up in price a few cents, one has doubled. It wasn’t cheap to begin with. Also the ones for my BP that seem to be helping a lot are on Amazon, so I can’t even include them. Some are not even available, but I’m guessing that will happen more often, now.
I don’t even want to get started on how I feel about that.
Hopefully, Karen will be back before long. That’s too bad about her mother. It must be very difficult for Karen to see that happen.
I was going to say, before I got side-tracked by my Self, that it’s always best to be cautious about new hairdressers. One never knows what to expect. Like having your neck shaved. *shudder*
One is always finding things one can’t find these days!
Karen’s mother is dying from cirrhosis of the liver, one of the other stylists said.
My brain got tired of me, packed up, and left a long time ago.
It doesn’t even call any more.
Like a box of chocolates.
Makes totally perfect sense to me!
I can’t seem to find much of what I want/need in a price range I can afford without skimping on something else. I’m used to pinching pennies, but these days, it’s more like just going without and hoping the price will come down a bit.
That is scary. And painful, I hear. I don’t think the medicos have learned how to successfully transplant livers.
:o[
I need to go find the teenbros and give them more assignments!
That’s funny in the way only Dilbert can be funny! He was my hero when I was working. It’s surprising how I identified with Dilbert when I was working amongst the liberals in the county offices.
Unless you know the chocolate decorator’s secret code! I had a friend who worked in a candy factory in Indiana, years ago, and she told me the little squiggles on top of each chocolate will tell you what’s in it. I’m sure each company has their own codes, but that fascinated me. I had to put it to the test!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.