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.
Don’t reach your hand in there.
Could it be worse? It probably could be.
Pain clinic personnel have extensive sensitivity training, just because of the nature of their patients. Most come in with terrible pain and need to be treated kindly.
FD has sent me lots of pics of her trip to Utah. She said there was a piper who played taps. I wouldn’t have been able to do anything but bawl.
The same to you! Stay warm. We’re going to be very cold at night, here, so I’m not too happy about that. I’m just glad I don’t have to go anywhere in the dark. ;o]
Enjoy the rain. We have more cold, but a little warmer than yesterday.
Never!
Very good point!
Looks like we get a break here and the winds have turned around to blow from the North for a couple of days...
This was the funeral for her half-sister? I’m glad she was able to go.
When I worked at one agency it was very near a 9/11 memorial. Every anniversary we could hear the piper playing to commemorate those who died. There’s something very somber about the pipes.
F-I-L apparently got out of bed recently while the power was out. He didn’t really realize there was no power or light and he pressed on toward the bathroom as normal. He tripped on something and got a few abrasions on his arm.
We bought him a nightlight that will shine a bright light if the power goes off. Mrs. ArGee is going to take it to him today and see if he can/will use it.
Sounds like a worthwhile addition to any home...
Cat sup?
Needs catsup.
Uh, Ketchup.
I'm trying to catch up...
Yes, it was. She began texting me photos that she had never seen before. Most of them were familiar to me, though.
FINALLY back from the doctor’s. My 0730 appointment was really an 0830 appointment, but I wasn’t told that until after 0900. Meanwhile, FS is getting hungry, and his blood sugar is dropping and there’s nothing I can do for him. I’ll remember to take some candy with me next time.
So, when I was done, we went to Somebody’s Diner for breakfast, and I had some not so good french toast.
He put up a towel ring for me, but the others will have to wait for wall anchors. Tomorrow.
Walgreen’s was “backed up” so my prescription won’t be available until tomorrow morning. Unngh.
AR has some strange laws.
When my Sil passed, one of her granddaughters played “Amazing Grace” on the pipes. I told FS today that I wanted “Taps” played at my burial because “they also serve who only stand and wait.” I was 30 years a military wife (Vietnam) mom (rumors of wars) and grandmom (Afghanistan) and it would be fitting, I think. (Working on my funeral arrangements and obit is a tough thing, but I’m not about to leave it to chance.)
I have nightlights in every room and have had since Hooterville. There are bright security lights here, but that’s outside. The bathroom is as dark as a well digger’s pocket at midnight, without a nightlight.
I read the book. The man wrote about scary things, for sure!
F-I-L has nightlights, just not the kind that continue working when the power goes out.
Mine?
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