Random Researchers Claim Octopuses Are Alien Life Forms (12 items)

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  (#1) 33 Scientists Published Their Alien Octopus Theory In A Peer-Reviewed Journal

  In March 2018, in a paper titled Cause of Cambrian Explosion - Terrestrial or Cosmic?, 33 researchers from the United States, the UK, Australia, India, and other countries explored the eruption of life during the Cambrian period.

  As part of the paper, the researchers discussed squid and octopuses, including their remarkable evolution and differences from other terrestrial life. They suggested octopuses may not have originated on Earth, but instead got some if not all of their DNA from an extraterrestrial species. 

  The research paper didn't just pop up on a blog. It was published in Progress in Biophysics & Molecular Biology, a respected peer-reviewed journal, giving the scientists' theory some weight.
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  (#2) Researchers Believe The Boom In Animal Species Happened Because Of Alien Viruses

  The extraterrestrial octopus theory is one part of the researchers' exploration of the cause of the Cambrian Explosion, which took place about 540 million years ago during the Cambrian period. At the time of the event, most animal phyla rather suddenly popped up in the fossil record. Before then, most creatures were very basic, consisting of single-celled organisms or sometimes colonies of cells.

  This boom in species types continued for millions of years, diverging into most of the types of life that are around today. Why the increase happened so suddenly has always been hotly debated by scientists.

  In the paper published by the 33 researchers, they posed a theory that all life stems from viruses. Retroviruses do lead to evolutionary processes. But where did they originate? The research paper says it's possible they came from a different world.
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  (#3) The Theory Ties In With The Idea That Life On Earth Came From Space

  The theory that diversification of life on our planet was "seeded" from an outside extraterrestrial source is known as the panspermia theory. According to this hypothesis, instead of everything evolving slowly, life came from meteorites and other celestial objects that bombarded our world.

  Alien viruses and cells frozen and preserved on meteorites influenced single-celled life on Earth, which grew into species we recognize today. The theory even suggests humans may have evolved from this alien life. 

  The research paper, which speaks at length about the panspermia theory, points out there are 100 billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy, and it's possible space-hardy organisms from these worlds survived on asteroids and comets.

  Earth has been hit by meteorites throughout its existence, evidenced by craters found all over the world. The paper also says it's unlikely life was created spontaneously and suggests viruses from space are a more likely cause.
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  (#4) The Theory Also Suggests Fertilized Alien Octopus Eggs Came To Earth

  The research paper also suggests that, instead of viruses starting the evolution of octopuses, the creatures came to Earth already evolved. The scientists say octopus eggs may have been cryopreserved after being fertilized, then transported to Earth on a comet or asteroid. On Earth, the eggs were revived and hatched into octopuses or squid.

  The researchers support this theory using fossil evidence, pointing out the very short period from the existence of single-celled organisms to full-fledged octopuses. They say a more-developed creature was introduced, and octopus eggs, or those of an ancient ancestor species, might have been that life form. Otherwise, they claim, there was not enough time for these organisms to evolve the way they did.
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  (#5) DNA Records Don't Seem To Connect Octopuses To Earlier Life Forms 

  To support their theory about ancient frozen alien eggs or viruses, scientists looked at DNA records for octopuses and squid. Octopuses are traditionally said to evolve from the nautiloid. But octopuses are different from any ancestral species, with larger and more intelligent brains than any similar creature, camera-like eyes, and abilities that include complex problem-solving and camouflage.

  When you delve into octopuses' DNA, elements of their biological coding cannot easily be found in earlier life forms. 

  According to the research paper, "it is plausible then to suggest [octopuses' transformative genes] seem to be borrowed from a far distant 'future' in terms of terrestrial evolution, or more realistically from the cosmos at large."
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  (#6) Scientists Previously Pitched The Theory In The 1970s

  Oddly enough, this theory is not entirely new. In the 1970s, researchers came up with the idea that life on Earth might have come from organisms and DNA on comets and meteorites, or even from space dust. The concept, known as "seeding," suggested we evolved partially or wholly from alien life. At the time, other scientists mostly dismissed the theory.

  One of the researchers involved in the 2018 paper was one of the earliest proponents of the theory. Chandra Wickramasinghe proposed in 1974 that dust in space was mostly organic. He later went on to co-found the Hoyle-Wickramasinghe Model of Panspermia, which is cited repeatedly in the new research article.
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  (#7) None Of The Paper's Authors Are Zoologists

  None of the 33 researchers who worked on the controversial report are zoologists, and many do not even study anything related to biology. Instead, the group consists mainly of astrobiologists, along with geologists, physicists, and researchers in a collection of other fields.

  The research paper's opponents have naturally criticized the lack of zoological input.

   
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  (#8) The Paper Discusses The Possibility Of God's Involvement In Creation

  The researchers who worked on the paper did not agree on all points. The paper includes the views of two different researchers on where life might have come from if it didn't start on Earth. One researcher believes "life comes from life," and therefore life itself originated before the Big Bang.

  Another researcher says life in the universe could start from infinite places, but "the improbabilities for the non-random assemblage of living proteins and nucleic acids are so huge (1 part in 1040,000) that perhaps an 'Infinite Universe' or super intelligent God would be required to produce a living miracle."
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  (#9) Octopuses Are Complex Creatures

  While octopuses may appear to be odd, simple creatures without bones or ways to communicate, they are very complex. Octopuses are intelligent enough to use tools and build structures, and they are excellent at escaping, even through the smallest openings.

  They have eyes that swivel and work like cameras, a large brain, and dexterous limbs. Octopuses also have 33,000 protein-coding genes - more than humans.

  Even the genetic differences between octopuses and squid, which look similar, are significant. The research paper suggests these stark differences may be the work of extraterrestrial influence. 
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  (#10) Octopuses Can Edit Their RNA

  Octopuses haven't evolved much, yet manage to survive in all sorts of climates, habitats, and even in captivity. In 2017, scientists discovered that one way in which cephalopods like octopuses do this is through editing their RNA, which sets them apart from other animals.

  When scientists studied an individual cephalopod, they discovered up to 60% of the RNA in its nervous system had been edited. The edited RNA allowed the animal to adapt its brain on a biological level to shifting ocean temperatures. 

  No other complex creatures can do this like cephalopods, which explains why they have stayed the same for so long: they don't need to evolve as a species if they can edit their bodies on the fly. The research paper suggests this RNA editing ability might be evidence octopuses did not originate on Earth.
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  (#11) Other Researchers Say The Theory Is Nonsense

  Although this theory was published in a scientific journal, other reputable scientists have called it nonsense. Critics say although the paper suggests octopuses haven't had enough time to evolve, science has shown octopuses diverged from squid 135 million years ago. Also, as of 2015, the octopus genome has been mapped, so their DNA is not as mysterious as the paper suggests.

  Karin Moelling, a molecular geneticist professor whose commentary was published with the article, said the researchers were describing their theory "as evidence-based, yet without any of the necessary evidence. The main statement about viruses, microbes, and even animals which came to us from space, cannot be taken seriously."
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  (#12) Squid And Octopuses May Be Taking Over The Ocean

  "Alien" octopuses and squid might be starting to take over the world. Although some ocean species have gone extinct in the last few decades, populations of octopuses and other cephalopods have been climbing. This increase might be due to global warming, as elevated temperatures boost the life cycles of cephalopods.

  Warmer temperatures also make squid and octopuses bigger, meaning they become more dominant. Scientists aren't sure how long they will be able to continue their boom, though.

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