Origin of Life Allegedly Driven By Organisms From Outer Space

The scientific community is not stopping studying every possible aspect that we can assess regarding the birth of life on our planet. Speculations throughout every research jump from interests mainly dominated by viruses or space-related factors.

Unsolved Studies on Life's Origin on Earth

(Photo: IBRAHIM CHALHOUB/AFP via Getty Images)
A squid swims late at night near the surface of the Mediterranean sea water off the coast of the northern city of Batroun, Lebanon on August 29, 2021.

Average scientific debates could get anyone, experts or enthusiasts, to go on forever when discussing life's origin. Due to the lack of evidence and minimal to moderate hints of the topic, the cycle could be stretched as far as people want. However, everything changes if a large group of scholars gathers and present a bizarre study on Earth's life, backed up by conclusive data from both terrestrial and spacial outlook.

One study on life's origin stands out. Published in 2018, the paper was authored by over 30 scientists that hail from various institutes. Although the inspiration for the study seems conspiracy-driven and suspicious, the findings were actually peer-reviewed and involved well citations. With that said, the study is comprehensive, trustworthy, and not just some small research that was created for a commission.

Based on a report by Awani Review, science journalism expert Stephen Fleischfresser dug into several confirmations and background checks on some of the involved scholars of the unique study. Of the authors, Edwards Steele was recognized, an immunology expert known to utilize unconventional processes in evolutionary studies. Another famous name was Chandra Wickramasinghe, a scientist known to prove cosmic carbon molecules production, first theorized by Sir Fred Hoyle.

ALSO READ: Glasswing Buttefly Map Highlights Biodiversity Hotspot in Andes Mountains

Comets, Viruses, and Tentacled Animals Key to Uncovering Life's Starting Point

Steele and Wickramasinghe's scientific perspectives met halfway due to the developed theories on life's starting point they have studied and the way they base their findings on unorthodox angles.

The study made by the collaborative efforts of Steele, Wickramasinghe, and other colleagues, strongly relies on the role of the cosmic viruses as the igniters of biological life on Earth. Based on their findings, the key to the origin of our existence was curated by these extraterrestrial retroviruses on the planet's ocean when it first landed half a billion years ago.

The authors explained that the vast range of cosmic viruses hailing from outside the deep space could be examined through the cometary evidence that we have on the planet. These trails, experts believe, offer a substantial clue to the birth of life through unfamiliar DNA sequences that, when studied, could prove a link to the genomic evolution and overall biodiversification on Earth.

Among the main interests of the study is a prehistoric point where the cephalopods, a type of mollusks, were able to adapt to the changing water bodies during this period. The specified mollusk group extended their tentacles out of their shells for the first time.

The evolution of the cephalopods in just a short amount of time was suspected to be driven by the ability of tentacled organisms to edit their own DNA. Surprisingly, the authors correlated this evolutionary step to the genetics they imply to have originated in space.

Although the study found a near-conclusive collection of hints regarding the subject, the experts state that further research on organic chemistry in space is still required. The study was published in the journal Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, titled "Cause of Cambrian Explosion - Terrestrial or Cosmic?"