Tree of life gets a total makeover: now giant viruses (Introduction)

by dhw, Saturday, June 16, 2018, 11:31 (2351 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: Now Pandoravirus family appears to make its own new genes:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180611133505.htm

QUOTE: This strange family of viruses, with their giant genomes and many genes with no known equivalents, surprised the scientists when they were discovered a few years ago. In the 11 June 2018 edition of Nature Communications, researchers offer an explanation: pandoviruses appear to be factories for new genes -- and therefore new functions. From freaks of nature to evolutionary innovators, giant viruses continue to shake branches on the tree of life!
In 2013, the discovery of two giant viruses unlike anything seen before blurred the line between the viral and cellular world.

DAVID’s comment: It has been proposed that viruses drive evolution. This study suggests that might be the case.

These blurred lines between virus and cell, and new genes that lead to evolutionary innovation, seem to me to support the view that evolution has been driven by the autonomous intelligence of microorganisms. However, the following quote came as a surprise to me:
“…most of these viruses' genes may originate spontaneously and randomly in intergenic regions. In this scenario, genes "appear" in different locations from one strain to another, thus explaining their unique nature.”

My proposal is that adaptations and innovations arise mainly in response to the challenges and opportunities presented by environmental conditions – both local and global. The article confirms the link with different locations, so I don’t know why the researchers say they are random. If they are unique to locations, that would suggest to me that they are intentionally produced to fit in with those locations.