What makes cancer cells so smart that in Stage 4 they can thwart almost any treatment anyone throws at ‘em?

For that matter… what is it that makes any form of life smart at all?

What is the “magic” that enables life itself to plan, build and organize? Rocks and snowflakes and sand dunes don’t do any of that. But life does. Read more »

The Birth of a Whole New Field of Scientific Inquiry?

Last time I told you about how our search for an evolutionary theory of viruses had hit a dead end. 

Then one day I got an email from Bill Miller: 

“Dear Perry, Arthur and Frantisek, I’ve written this here 80-page paper on virus evolution. I’d like you guys to help me finish it up and co-author it with me.” 

Arthur Reber is a psychologist in Vancouver, František Baluška is a cell and plant biologist in Germany and the most ‘rock star’ scientist of the group by far. 

All of us agreed to Read more »

One Trail Dead-Ends While Another Blazes into View

Last time I showed you some diagrams that gave me some eye-opening insights into viruses, DNA, and ethernet packets!

Read Part 3 Here. 

At the same time I was musing on those diagrams, I got in touch with a scientist who was about to publish a paper that he said would prove COVID-19 was engineered in a lab. Read more »

The Journey to Natural Virus Evolution 

In 2019 I hired publicist Kelly Sullivan to fire up interest in my $10 Million Origin of Life Prize. 

Then nine months later, we all know what happened. 

So, two weeks into lockdown, Kelly says, “Perry, the media doesn’t want to see anything unless it’s about viruses. Surely, you must have something you can say about that?” 

I said, “Um, no. But I’ll make you a promise: Read more »

Last time I asked you to imagine composing a mashup of the Beatles’ song “Hey Jude” with the Rolling Stones’ song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” with your friends. (Read Part 1 here).

I asked…

Who wrote that mash up? Read more »

Imagine you’re heading to a campsite to hang out with your friends for the weekend. On the drive you hear “Hey Jude” by the Beatles and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones on the radio.

Later, sitting around the campfire, munching s’mores and sipping beers, you start strumming your guitar and humming “Hey Jude… you can’t always get what you want…” mashing the two songs together.   Read more »

Your boss summons you to his office. You sense something is ‘up.’ He drops the bombshell: “You are being relocated to Muncie, Indiana.”

Your heart pounds in your chest. “No way,” you retort. “We just poured our hearts into our new home. The garden blooms with vibrant colors and my wife cherishes her Yoga class.”

“Well, if you wanna keep your job… you’re moving to Muncie,” he asserts. Read more »

In the world of virology, the concept of viral tropism reigns supreme. At its core, viral tropism is all about the keys to unlock the secret of certain viral infections.

Some viruses have the uncanny ability to hone in on specific types of cells, using molecules on the surface of those cells as an entryway into the host. It’s a bit like a thief with a lock pick, able to crack the code to gain access. Read more »

Imagine you’re building a LEGO city with your friends. In the traditional understanding of evolution (called Neo-Darwinism, aka Evolution 1.0), you and your friends are constantly making random changes to your LEGO city. The best changes (the ones that help your city survive and thrive) stick around.

In this case, if viruses were part of the game, they’d be like bullies trying to knock your LEGO buildings over. You and your friends would have to work out ways to protect your city from these bullies.

However, a new paper by Bill Miller, Arthur Reber, Perry Marshall and Frantisek Baluska offers a new way of looking at things, called Cognition-Based Evolution. Read more »