In this cosmic video, we dive into the strange but surprisingly plausible possibility that octopuses have incorporated genetic material from space. We'll discuss the latest NASA samples from the Bennu and Ryugu asteroids and how they might add evidence to this theory. Discover the strangeness, intelligence, and multiple abilities of octopuses and other cephalopods that make them seem out of this world.
We'll also explore the ideas of Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe on panspermia (the idea that life can travels through the cosmos), and how retroviruses (from Earth or perhaps space) can insert lasting changes into DNA, including ours.
Join us on this incredible journey and decide for yourself: Are octopuses truly aliens? Write your thoughts below.
Main paper discussed: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079610718300798
Latest discoveries from asteroid Bennu: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7vd1zjlr5lo
Discovery of the nucleobase, Uracil (a base in RNA) on Asteroid Ryugu, March 2023: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36904-3
Bacteria surviving on and in the Space Station - there are many studies on this but here is a quick overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAKk0gJ6g8k
Here is one of the latest papers on the survival of microorganisms in space: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-49525-z
NASA research on nucleobases for DNA found in Asteroids: https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/could-the-blueprint-for-life-have-been-generated-in-asteroids/#:~:text=Using%20new%20analyses%2C%20scientists%20have,found%20three%20of%20the%20five.
Paper from 2022 in Nature on possible meteoritic nucleobases that were available on early Earth: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29612-x
Summary article on the strangeness of Octopus genetics: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/04/octopuses-do-something-really-strange-to-their-genes/522024/
RNA editing in octopus: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(17)30344-6
Octopus keep surprising us (Natural History Museum London article): https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/octopuses-keep-surprising-us-here-are-eight-examples-how.html
Paper on the genetic flexibility of octopus: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4795812/
Sequencing the two spot octopus and information on the octopus genome: https://octopus.org.nz/content/dna-proves-octopuses-are-aliens
and
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4795812/
The role of retroviruses in altering DNA: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11035796/
Ted talk on Panspermia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAz_3ifS2jM
Brian Cox (BBC) on Panspermia (Open University Animation): https://www.bbc.co.uk/videos/c4geelxyvdzo