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.
Bummer about the hot water. Shannon openly hates Jake!
We had a really good time.
I have an hour before I have to think about getting ready for church, but it was cold enough in here this morning to need the space heater again.
Anyway, it’s Sunday and time for an uplifting talk. Then I’ll feel very good! ;o]
I had a shower when we got home yesterday, but I could have another.
The shower was hot enough to last long enough to get me started, even though it was almost an hour late. I guess it doesn’t mean much in the Sunday scheme of things, since we don’t usually leave until five minutes before the first meeting starts, and the chapel is 10 minutes away.
I’ll start to get ready in a few minutes. My back hurts so much here that I have to do stuff in stages. The decent lighting in the bathroom is so far away from the toilet that I can’t put my makeup on without flexing my knees against the vanity for support so I can see what I’m doing. Unngh.
But it’s OK! I’m alive! ;o]
What a dismal showing!
Wordle 316 X/6
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟩⬜🟨⬜
⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜
But at least it shows I’m human and tomorrow is another day!
Can you get a self-lit makeup mirror? I think they make battery-powered ones that will stick on your bathroom mirror.
Third try, two letters in the wrong positions. Nailed it on the fourth try.
I’ll check. I’m sure Amazon has one, but pay day is still a few days off, and a mirror will have to go in the “Want” column instead of the “Need” column.
Like I say, I’ll check! I’d rather do the makeup sitting down, as I did for years. My makeup vanity finally gave up the ghost (one of my smarter purchases when we lived in Germany) and I’ve been standing ever since. I don’t like it!
Excellent!
I didn’t sleep well last night, so today’s effort wasn’t entirely unexpected. Tomorrow’s will be better!
https://www.walmart.com/browse/beauty/lighted-makeup-mirror/1085666_1007040_3460489_5548419_4925413
Walmart has several, priced $40 or less.
This is more in line with what I had. Wooden case, tilt mirror (large) and makeup drawer. I probably paid less than four Marks for it (about a dollar, then) and it lasted a good many years.
But this is about the closest thing I could find that meets all the needs.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255261813667?hash=item3b6eca2ba3:g:56kAAOSw-5Jhq-v0
Seems reasonable.
Don’t feel bad at all! It’s a misspelled word, in my opinion. I only got it because I was chasing out letters. I didn’t think this would solve it. I don’t van wondered if it would let me put it in.
Wordle 316 4/6
⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟨🟩⬜🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
“don’t van” = “even.” Stupid phone. 😏
Weird day. Next random game, one correct letter in the correct place tries 1, 2 and 3, same letter, same place. Then totally nailed the whole word on try 4.
My ride was here before I could even respond to your response, so I apologize for that. Most Sundays they’re another 15 minutes out before I get the text that says they’re on the way.
I didn’t want to go to begin with, didn’t like being there, and didn’t get to leave when I wanted to. Other than that, it was a great service!
The salad I bought at Walmart yesterday wasn’t worth the money. The lettuce was brown, so I’m glad I listened to “the voice” that said to pick up a bag of lettuce along with an avocado and a couple of tomatoes.
To quote a dear friend, why does everything have to be so hard?
It WAS misspelled, but I’ve run across it several times lately, so I’m thinking folks are just plain “ignernt pukes.”
You did a good job, though, even for all that! (Or is it “van” for all that?) ;o])
Good job! But you had Tyson, who-isn’t-allowed-on-furniture, to help you.
I’ve had days like that, but my spectacular winning streak of 19 has been put on the back burner. I wonder how long it will take me to get another 19 in a row?
Tyson who thought he was tricking me out of my bed at 3:30 this morning.
Anyway I’m in the zone today. First try, two letters, one in the correct place. Second try, entire word.
Next random puzzle.
One correct letter in the correct place on the first guess.
Second guess, got the whole word.
I’m definitely in The Zone.
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