This article reviews evidence supporting the Hoyle-Wickramasinghe (H-W) thesis of cometary panspermia, arguing that life originated in space and was seeded on Earth via comets. The authors present multidisciplinary evidence, including findings from astronomy, virology, and molecular biology, to bolster their claim. Key evidence includes the discovery of organic molecules in space, microbial life in meteorites, and the timing of retroviral emergence coinciding with the Cambrian explosion. The authors challenge the dominant terrestrial paradigm of abiogenesis and neo-Darwinian evolution, proposing a cosmic perspective that integrates terrestrial and extraterrestrial evolutionary processes. Finally, they suggest that this paradigm shift has profound implications for our understanding of life’s origin, evolution, and the emergence of pandemics.
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