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.
Prosper and die early.
Prosper and die poor.
Prosper and live long.
Any way you say it, you’re gonna die! Even if you live long! But the prosperous thing is iffy, no matter how long you live.
Good that a new maintenance man is there!
Unless forced to think about it, I usually have no idea what the day of the week or date is... I am usually sure of the month...
That is good!
Today is James’s birthday (18) and Kathleen’s chronological advancement date (10). Kathleen’s Birthday Observed is Feb. 28.
W00t!
I saw it but was too preoccupied to comment sooner! Way to go!
He’s young and eager, so I’m thinking he has a family to support.
I’ll find out more about him but it could be that he’s ex-military, which is always good!
Happy birthday to James and his hair!
My chronological advancement is one day more than it was yesterday. ;o]
I want to make a cake. I don’t know where any of the ingredients are, except “here.”
I wonder if I could walk to Kroger tomorrow. If I’m not too tired.
Well, gloriosky!
A phone call from my health insurance this morning for clarification on “smokeless tobacco use” and this afternoon, a phone call from the doctor’s office saying they’ve corrected the entry, though I don’t recall an apology being offered during the call.
Nor did I detect any sincerity in this call, mostly molasses miasma of niceness to prevent me from carrying any complaints any farther. Because all they want is to make sure that I understand that the doctor who saw me is a very nice doctor, and the clinic wants to make sure I’m happy, even going so far as to say that if I ever encounter any problems to speak with her (office manager) and she’ll see that things are taken care of.
I won’t go back.
G'deve ning, y'all.
Howdy, y’all. I hope you and the critters are doing well! ;o]
It’s really nice to see some old frens again. :D
Y’all old? I am, lol.
Are you still free down there?
Or did you have to submit to a vax-pass?
They are cutting off trucks to Canada.
V’d or not, we are all going to starve.
The un-vaxxed are allowed to go to the grocery store, drug store, and gas station, for now.
Quebec just ended 3 weeks of curfew, 10pm to 5am.
Almost 3 weeks ago, Ontario was put in lockdown, so now no one can go anywhere. Everything was closed again. We are waiting for the next new announcement.
They just yesterday locked down New Brunswick. None of this makes sense.
How wonderful to see so many FRiends simultaneously! ‘Face, are we in the same time zone (Central)? Sometimes, am in sync w/T-c, but today have hit the jackpot! fan fan, it’s been a dog’s age. Soooo good to see y’all.
So sorry to hear. Lunatics abound.
You too, Hun.
Hello from Chinada!
It’s frightening really.
It’s so VERY good to hear from you, even if you’re the bearer of bad news. So how many grandkids do you have now? I miss hearing from you!
So far with most freedoms, so good, but only because we still have guns. At least, I think that’s the reason.
I keep using my age and immune system dysfunction as a reason for not being vaccinated, and so far, they’ve accepted it. Either that or they don’t know I exist.
I was reading about the truck stoppages to Canada. I’m so sorry, Fan. “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I hope someone with some sense is able to make some changes.
What a shameful situation this whole thing is. Fauci and his power grab. And the people are getting fed up with it for sure. They’re beginning to fight back, a few at a time.
Yes, SG, we’re in the same time zone, finally! I started out in Pacific time, years ago, but this latest move brought me to the Central time zone. The South, as I’ve been reminded! ;o]
Oh, dear. Good luck! And hi!
My uncle Jim passed away last night.
I just heard.
Mom has the info.
Will bug her when I wake up.
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