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.
Sorry about your digestion. I hate when that happens.
I hope your day is better and you can nap with a cat.
I had a decent starting word too.
Wordle 293 3/6
🟨🟨⬜🟨🟩
🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
What a cute kitty! ♥️😻
Welp. It took me just 30 minutes to transform the closet from an obstacle course to slightly more organized, with an extra crate and tub. The crate will be utilized asap, while the tub will be donated, because I prefer to see the contents of the storage containers.
Now my right knee is telling me to stop, and call it a day’s work, in spite of what it really is. And to think I used to be able to do that for several hours at a time, non-stop. My house was so clean and organized! ;o]
Good job!
My starting word is always the same and about 95% of the time it gives me enough letters to begin to build. And then there is the other 5%. *blech*
I have about six starting words I use with different combinations of vowels and consonants.
If my starting word comes up with nothing (rare, but it happens), I use another one with different vowels to try to catch them all.
Good idea! I was gonna think of that! ;o]
Awww…I hope that sweetie was truly rescued.
I remember seeing some appalling things on a menu at a restaurant called The Gap in Shanghai. :(
The poster has pictures of him for several years. He (the kitten) was a bit of a star locally.
Good! He is a handsome boy. 😻
G'deve ning, y'all!
Evening! It’s not really cold here, but there’s a cracking cold wind.
How are you?
Poor Princess. Poor eye. Since my husband’s been gone and it was clear that I fractured my leg entirely on my own, people have been compelled to stop blaming him for my various bumps and bruises. Hopefully, Mrs. ArGee isn’t suspect. Prayers up for speedy healing.
Have you ever made milanesa? I brought some home from Wal Mart and was pleasantly surprised that you prepare it something like weiner schnitzel. Just did the seasonings without the breadcrumbs and made sandwiches (bread and butter pickles, sharp cheddar, grilled colored bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, mayo and Catalina dressing on seeded rye or 12-grain bread). Will get 24 sandwiches out of the batch. Also made freezer fudge. Have draped Weight Watcher scale in black crepe. Hopefully, this food fixation will end soon.
How're DP, offspring and furkids doing? The thirteen-year-old cat is responding well to hyperthyroidism treatment. The fourteen-year-old cat, the fourteen-year-old dog, and the eight-year-old dog are well.
Currently enjoying reading "The Politically Incorrect Guide to the South."
Have you read anything riveting lately? (Not that I need riveting or any other orthopedic procedure, either.)
In the interests of accuracy, the cats and dogs are fifteen, fourteen and nine. Flime ties.
The feet aren’t bad right now. Asuncion says there’s a delay in getting the last plant for the traditional Mexican foot-pain remedy because it’s not the right season for it yet. I told her the thought was worth a lot of plants!
Never made milanesa. I don’t bread things much these days. Actually, I never did, even before Weight Watchers: too messy!
Our Shannon, 15-year-old cat, also takes thyroid pills. You just reminded me that it’s an even numbered day, so she needs a second pill before bed. No dogs.
We listened to “The Life of Pi” recently, suggested by Steve my spiritual companion. Super interesting, and the stuff about wild animals and their territoriality helped me to deal with the return of Tom the Son, apex predator.
I was just winning, by a substantial margin, a game of Wingspan with DP, Tom, Vlad, and Kathleen. It was my Canada goose that did it for me.
This is the third time I’ve tried to post something this morning, but I don’t give up in anything I do, so.
Good morning. I hope you had a good night.
I racked up 11 hours, and still feel like the rag wheels of hades, but that’s the name of the game.
It’s 32 degrees outside, so I opted for longjohns today. I’m so tired of being cold. I’ve seen Easters in April with 6” of snow, but that was in Central Utah, fercryinoutloud. This is Arkansas and considered “The South.”
The only thing slated for today is Walmart and making the bed and not necessarily in that order!
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