In the News and whilst not strictly Astronomy but related to the origins of life (maybe):
"Tracking viruses back in time"
http://www.physorg.com/news203001039.html
Quote:
Viruses are a curious lot. The standard drawing of the tree of life, the one you find on the inside back cover of biology textbooks, is divided into three branches: Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya. Viruses don’t make it onto the page.
That makes sense, some scientists argue, because they’re not alive. They can’t reproduce on their own; they require the cozy environment of living cells for their survival. Others disagree. Not only are viruses alive, they say, but genetic evidence indicates that they may have been the first forms of life on Earth, predating cellular life.
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and here's the Astronomy related bit ...
Quote:
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The first virus they chose (for study) was Bacteriophage T4, “sort of the prototypical virus,” which has a well-known shape. It “looks like the lunar lander,” Stedman said.
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Chuckle .. chuckle ..
Cheers