Claims of “New Life” Premature

The discovery of novel circular RNAs
in microbial communities is worth
investigating, but the leap from
genetic novelty to a new domain
of life is wholly unjustified

RNA Obelisks in our Microbiome:
Don’t Get All Excited Yet

by John Wise, PhD

Scientists Uncover Strange New Life Forms Inside Human Bodies That Don’t Fit Any Known Category of Living Things (Indian Defence Review, 26 January 2026). This article underscores a common misstep in science reporting: declaring novel computational patterns as ontological breakthroughs in biology. The article claims,

hidden inside the human body, scientists have uncovered thousands of bizarre RNA loops unlike anything in biology…

The headline frames the discovery as “new life forms” residing in us, which they call “obelisks.” The research itself, however, points only to previously unrecognized circular RNA elements detected through sequencing analyses.

Hype First, Evidence Later

The narrative in some outlets pushes even further into sensationalism. A headline about this on Earth.com (27 October 2025) proclaims, “New life forms found in the human body, remarking ‘it’s insane’.”  describes the structures as

“tiny circular RNAs that don’t match any known virus or bacterium” and emphasizes that obelisks “don’t fit the usual categories.”

That phrasing invites readers to think in terms of alien biology or new kingdoms of life, even though the underlying study uses computational criteria – circular assembly signatures and predicted rod-like folding – to extract novel sequences from metatranscriptomic data. In other words, they obtained RNA sequencing data that records active gene expression from all organisms present in a complex biological sample. This is not based on independent observational data.

Another report frames the discovery with emotionally charged language. Look at this headline: “New RNA Entities Found in Human Microbiome Challenge Definitions of Viruses (Dark Daily, 9 January 2026). This press release from a website that serves clinical labs and pathology groups states that researchers have

… identified a previously unknown class of RNA molecules living inside bacteria associated with the human body – entities that replicate but do not fit into any existing biological category.

That choice of words implies that obelisks are autonomous replicators or new kinds of life, neither of which the evidence currently supports.

What the Journal Article Actually Says

By contrast, the actual preprint describing the discovery stays grounded and cautious.

Viroid-like colonists of human microbiomes (Zheludev et al., Cell via bioRxiv, 21 January 2024). This preprint describes obelisks as having circular RNA genome assemblies with around 1000 base pairs, and rod-like secondary structures. It notes their prevalence: detection in ~7 % of stool and ~50 % of oral metatranscriptomes surveyed.

The study also experimentally establishes Streptococcus sanguinis as a cellular host of a specific obelisk and finds that the obelisk’s maintenance is “not essential for bacterial growth.”

Importantly, the preprint does not claim that obelisks are autonomous life forms or that they redefine biological boundaries. It documents unusual genetic elements in microbiome data whose function and lifecycle remain unclear. The data in the journal article emphasize unresolved questions about replication mechanisms, host interactions, and biological impact.

The takeaway for CEH readers tracking claims about “new life forms” should be clear and careful: the discovery of novel circular RNAs in microbial communities is worthy of further investigation. The ontological leap from genetic novelty to a new domain of life is wholly unjustified by the current evidence, reflecting more our hype-driven culture than sober scientific reportage.

John Wise received his PhD in philosophy from the University of CA, Irvine in 2004. His dissertation was titled Sartre’s Phenomenological Ontology and the German Idealist Tradition. His area of specialization is 19th to early 20th century continental philosophy.

He tells the story of his 25-year odyssey from atheism to Christianity in the book, Through the Looking Glass: The Imploding of an Atheist Professor’s Worldview (available on Amazon). Since his return to Christ, his research interests include developing a Christian (YEC) philosophy of science and the integration of all human knowledge with God’s word.

He has taught philosophy for the University of CA, Irvine, East Stroudsburg University of PA, Grand Canyon University, American Intercontinental University, and Ashford University. He currently teaches online for the University of Arizona, Global Campus, and is a member of the Heterodox Academy. He and his wife Jenny are known online as The Christian Atheist with a podcast of that name, in addition to a YouTube channel: John and Jenny Wise.