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.
I got two of the raised beds ready for planting and a lot of other weeding and stuff done.
Wow. Good on ya!! Should I send you a packet of Three Sisters?
We’re still under a tornado watch until 1700 hours this afternoon. Can I just go back to Henderson, now, please? This isn’t fun any more.
I got my closet slightly situated, but any way I look at it, there is really nowhere “safe.” All I can do is trust in the Lord. And hope I don’t hear my phone blaring its klaxon alert for me to “get somewhere safe.” They never give the all-clear. Just the scary parts.
We’ve now moved out of the “tornado watch” mode and into the “severe thunderstorm” mode until 1700 or until the weather gods get tired of tossing their toys around.
In other news, it’s my oldest grandson’s birthday today and we had a nice conversation by text. I’m going to try and talk him into coming out for a visit. That would be so much fun!
It made my day to talk to him!
Tomorrow is supposed to be clear and sunny, so I’ll head for Walgreens just before 0900 so I can get my pills, then stop at Kroger to get a couple of things. I really need the walk, before my legs don’t want to work any more.
As crazy as things are these days, if a tornado came for me I’d probably put out the welcome mat.
As they say, beam me up, Scotty! There’s no intelligent life down here.
G'daft ernoon, y'all.
I have been in tornado country before, but these storms are just downright scary. I think they’re the reason I refused to move here any sooner. Although in the last five years of checking the weather here almost daily, I don’t recall so many (if any) tornado watch/warnings as I’ve seen since I’ve been here.
Of course, now, it’s just a rotten ugly downpour that has been almost constant for the last two hours with a sound and light show. Air you can drink and water you can’t.
I turned the A/C on earlier to try and dry the place out, but there is a rattle in the system somewhere, so I’ll have to put in a complaint to the manager so they can send someone out to check it.
Hey, Girl! You got bad weather out your way?
It sure is ugly here!
Do you know what the ingredients are for the foot medicine? When my husband had plantar fasciitis, my sifu made a concoction of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, seeds, plants, whatever, and instructed him to boil them in vodka and then soak his feet in the mixture. His physical therapist told him that it would probably take about six months for his feet to feel normal again, but he was able to walk without pain a week after using the stuff. Sifu also did something called moxibustion on my friend’s knees (rheumatoid arthritis) and the pain went away immediately but I’m not sure for how long.
I don’t bread things much either unless jonesing for zucchini with ranch dressing. The fried chicken around here is so good that it’s not practical to make it at home. They’re into fried pickles but not zucchini that much. People who are good at agriculture seem to stay away from the prolific zucchini. They’ve even been known to leave bags-full on doorsteps or inside unlocked cars in the church parking lot and then run away. Surprising that nobody around here had developed a zucchini-launcher that can lob them at annoying bunnehs who take a couple of bites out of each perfect honeydew or cantaloupe.
Thanks for “The Life of Pi” opinion. Since when did Tom the Son transform from tame ogre to apex predator. Does this refer to fridge raids or something?
Continuing prayers for Princess.
Oh, hai, ‘Face! We had some torrential rains recently but, PTL, no ferocious wind. Being drenched is nothing new in TN. After having been dessicated in the desert for thirty years. water feels good. Speaking of water, it seems like the southeasterly part of Arkansas was under water every time we drove past it. (That was between 2006 and 2014.) Are you fairly dry of late? How’s everything else progressing?
No, I don’t know what ingredients Asuncion needs for the foot remedy. My diagnosis from the podiatrist is plantar fibroid, arthritis, and chronic tendonitis. Whether the potion does anything or not, having a friend who loves me helps a lot!
Tom, like a Bengal tiger, has substantial territorial needs and isn’t shy about expressing them. “You could just have Pat and James move in with the other boys, and I could have that room.” “No, of course not. Don’t be silly.” and so on.
It’s a little exhausting!
I worked all morning on the garden beds, and Frank and I can plant beets and zucchini tomorrow or even this evening. If we don’t overdo it with the number of zucchini plants, we might be able to eat it!
P.S. To clarify: by “fairly dry,” I mean not under three feet of water.
It seems that we have been going through that combo of Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado warnings about once per week lately... usually starts in late afternoon and into the night... dang hail is often a big part of it too...
G’daft ernoon, SG!
Hoping that all is well by you...
Oh, wow—who thought some independent living would affect him like that? The thought processes of some humans are so mystifying. Nope, astonishing is the word. Prayers up for your poor little feet and for your continued resilience!
My heart pines away for a zucchini plant. Maybe I can wrestle a half-barrel from the old garden to the backyard, and plant one. Backyard location will facilitate four-times-daily checks for Japanese beetles and hornworms if I can manage another half-barrel.
Hai, zz! Prayers up that y’all remain safe and untouched by
the weather and everything else, for that matter. Hail is such a bear.
The other half barrel would be for a tomato plant, hence the hornworm inspections. I don’t have to write a complete thought because, in addition to your other numerous competencies, you are psychic.
Oh, well, off to the salt mines. SYL.
If you visit American city
You will find it very pretty
Just two things of which you must beware
Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air
Tom Lehrer
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.