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.
LOL!
You’re so right about that! <3
Catball launcher!
That’s a good one!
Hahaha! What a great thing to see when one first gets up!
Kitteh likes to suck on his blannie.
Good morning. Did you sleep well after your busy day?
I tried to take things easy again, as the symptoms were flaring once more.
I have no idea what today’s trip to Walmart will do, but it has to be done. Still, I’m not looking forward to it!
Does your family have plans?
Rescue kitten.
Good morning. I slept pretty well. No cat! We have choir practice at 10:30, and we assume some of the young adults will turn up wanting groceries. At least they’re not underfoot all the time!
I need to grade forestry tests and type up some other science stuff, maybe an hour’s work if I don’t try to do too many other things at the same time.
I thought I was the only one to scatter myself like buckshot...
Nah, it’s all of us. I encouraged the high school students to volunteer to do a half hour of typing (at most) about forestry or soil, but they all thought they’d be too busy. *sigh* I decided it was better for me to do it than have it not get done, which is why our whole society can’t have nice things, really.
Or because things just have to be difficult.
I've been trying to figure out how to close my screen door, but because it's aluminum, I can't use a magnet, so I'll have to try and find a piece of twine and tie it to the inner door at night. *sigh*
That’s just crazy. Why does everything have to be so difficult?
We’re finished choir practice. The church says nobody has to come if it’s dangerous to drive.
Back from Walmart and two side-trips to Kroger and one to Walgreen’s. I wanted to stop at Walgreen’s first, but PW wanted to stop at Kroger for organic eggs at $1.99 a dozen, then she had an appointment at Walmart pharmacy for a booster, so while she was waiting, I got some exercise in the store.
Of course, I was done 30 minutes before they were, and all I could do was hope my ice cream didn’t melt. Then we stopped at Walgreen’s and only three of the four prescriptions were ready. Then back to Kroger because Walmart was out of stuff.
And it rained the entire time.
Tomorrow is Stake Conference, but we’ll watch it from home. It’s today, too, but this afternoon and this evening. Only one session tomorrow, so I’ll watch that for sure. Not sure I have all the links...
I had a nap with Jake. I dreamed I was a participant in a Spanish musical show, and I was carrying Shannon around because she was going to be in a performance.
Well, Shannon, diva that she is, needs to be carried around by her adoring staff. However, I had no idea she could sing in Spanish! What a talented kitteh!
It’s still raining. I’ve been sleepy since we were in Walmart but I’m fighting it. I don’t have to get up early tomorrow morning, and I’m very glad of that.
Walgreen’s sent me a text to tell me the last prescription was ready, so Monday, I’ll walk down and get it. Or Tuesday.
I’m watching a “Detective Murdoch” mystery. It’s a movie, and I had no idea there were any. I just thought there was only the TV series. The main character isn’t nearly as easy on the eyes as Yannick Bisson! Interesting plot though, this first movie.
Nobody’s as easy on the eyes as Yannick Bisson. Those straight teeth, those big brown eyes, those sensible suits!
I’ve been grading forestry tests that the students did yesterday. Unnngh! are the results. The kids need to study!
Yes, all that about Yannick Bisson is very true. Not to mention he’s *ahem* very sexy in his form-fitting sensible suits!
I could have been in forestry. If women were allowed to do that, back in the day. Sorry about the test scores. That must be very disappointing for you.
*tagline*
Should I?
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