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/sci/ - Science & Math

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4625091 No.4625091 [Reply] [Original]

Why do people always say that alien microbes might kill humans? Or human microbes might kill aliens?

What are the chances that an alien microbe can infect a human?

>> No.4625094 [DELETED] 

Why does the frog in OP's pic have no ears?

>> No.4625098
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4625098

>>4625094

>> No.4625106

>>4625091
Because no immunity.

>> No.4625110

>>4625106
There are alot of microbes that infect other species but don't infect humans.

>> No.4625113

Because something doesn't need to actually infect you to harm you. What are toxins?

>> No.4625115

Because if an alien species evolved completely separate from us then it only makes sense that they have the exact same physiology and are vulnerable to all the same diseases

>> No.4625116

We can't pin down the odds, but it's a crapshoot.

The odds we'll have defense are low, because it is alien to us. The odds it will be compatible with our biology, for the same reason, are also very low.

So you end up estimating a very low chance of very high damage.

>> No.4625127

>Why do people always say that

>I had a conversation with a person once...
>I read on a blog once...

>> No.4625156

>>4625127
No, contamination from alien microbes is something that's taken very seriously. The Apollo astronauts had to sit in quarantine after they got back because of it, until it could be ascertained that they hadn't brought back anything dangerous with them.

>> No.4625190

>>4625186
my sides

>> No.4625186

Modify the OP pic and add between his hands a text that says "Happiness"

>> No.4625240

>>4625156
>reference something from 50 years ago.
When I see a post on /sci/ starting with >people always say...
I can assume ignorance or troll, it is a fairly even split.
In this case it looks like ignorance.

>> No.4625243

>>4625240
Be fair. There hasn't been much since the Apollo program that even brought anything back to Earth from beyond LEO (feel free to correct me). It's not like you can cite cases where people DGAF about the issue anymore, because it just hasn't come up.

>> No.4625244
File: 81 KB, 539x465, HAPPINESS.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4625244

>>4625186

>> No.4625246

>>4625244
Beautiful. I don't even like sad frog very much, but I'm saving this one.

>> No.4625261
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4625261

>>4625091
> Why do people always say that alien microbes might kill humans? Or human microbes might kill aliens?
Because it is possible.
If you don't know the definition of the word "might", GIB. (Google it, bitch.)

> What are the chances that an alien microbe can infect a human?
0 <= P <= 1.

>> No.4625263

>>4625243
I agree.
I just don't hear people saying alien microbes might kill humans other than in sci-fi books (war of the worlds springs to mind). In my experience scientists don't go around saying this type of thing. There is the occasional dooms day comet thing where some nutter is going on about alien microbe invasion. There is an occasional person who comes across the Panspermia theory and asks about alien microbes.
I admit I live is a bubble like everyone else but I avoid "people always say..." or "everyone knows that..." statements because they are never true.

>> No.4625264

What are the chances? Well, let's see:
-Alien microbes have never been found
-Their hypothetical metabolism hasn't even been theorised upon
-We know very little about our own origin and the primal conditions necessary for life

In conclusion, your question is really retarded.

>> No.4625280

Viruses need to hijack cellular machinery of host cells to reproduce, so the idea of viruses of extraterrestrial origin being effective on earth-life can be discarded out of hand because alien viruses would not be adapted to inser their genetic matieral into host cells because they would not have evolved the correct binding proteins. Infact before that they would not even be able to bind to the ouside of host cells to insert their genetic material because they would lack the binding proteins to do that too.

As for our immune system attacking alien microbes, as long as they look foreign to our white-blood cell's surface proteins then there's a decentchance we would still be able to eat them , and present some characteristic region of their outside to our lymphocytes then manufacture antibodies for them.

>> No.4625281

>>4625263
What people in general worry about has little to do with what the experts actually dealing with a problem worry about.

Though to be fair, even I get the impression that they would worry more about contaminating samples with *our* microbes, especially in the context of searching for life elsewhere.

>> No.4625285 [DELETED] 

>>4625280
>virus
>microbe
>implying

Back to biology 101.

>> No.4625289

>>4625285
It's true that he doesn't discuss the possibility of microbes (not viruses) that are good at eating us.

But that doesn't necessarily mean he thought he had.

>> No.4625293

>>4625281
Yes I have encountered this in my bubble in regard to probes sent to Mars. I think the concern is that if we want to find if life exists on Mars naturally we better not take it there or our results will be contaminated.

>> No.4625295

>>4625285
>implying I implied that viruses are microbes

Hurr hurr learn to read, you cretin. New paragraph. I stopped talking about viruses at the end of the first paragraph.

>> No.4625298 [DELETED] 

>>4625295
>cretin

It's spelled creatine and that's not even an insult.

>> No.4625301 [DELETED] 

>>4625295
>makes fundamental mistake
>gets called out for being dumb
>"hurrrrrrrrr I meant the right thing all the tiem I just posted it wrong duuuuuuuurrrrrrr"

Yeah, nah, your an idiot.

>> No.4625306
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4625306

>>4625280
i'd like to insert my genetic material into her host cell if you get my meaning

>> No.4625308

>>4625298
WHATA FUCK MAN xD i just fall of my chair kuz i couldnt and i CANT stop laugh xDXDXDXDXDDDDDDDDDDDDXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD OMGOSH DDDDDXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD DDDDDD LOOOOOOOOOLLLLL THIS IS A SHIT XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDXDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD A BIG ONE XDDDDDDDD A GRAT ONE XXXXXXDDDD CONGRATS MAN XD

>> No.4625312 [DELETED] 

>>4625306
I don't get your meaning.

>> No.4625320

>>4625301
>can't follow simple posts without misinterpreting them
>genuinely thinks it's more likely that person does not know what virus and microbe mean than he stopped talking viruses at the end of the paragraph mentioning viruses and had begun talking about microbes (i.e. prokaryotes, protoctista and some fungi) in the new paragraph mentioning microbes.

Please stop, you're embarrassing yourself.

>> No.4625323
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4625323

>>4625312
i'd like to penetrate her through receptor mediated endocytosis, if you get my meaning

>> No.4625335

>>4625323
Your unclarity knows no bounds. Clearly you should expound some more. In multiple posts, preferably.

>> No.4625338

Because people are too uncreative to assume that an alien could be anything other than DNA based.

>> No.4625339 [DELETED] 

>>4625320
>you're embarrassing yourself

Now you're projecting. You posted dumb shit and I told you why you were wrong. Just admit it and stop being butthurt.

>> No.4625344 [DELETED] 

>>4625338
It cannot be any other than DNA based. ALL life is DNA based.

>> No.4625347

>>4625344
robots aren't DNA-based

>> No.4625350 [DELETED] 

>>4625347
Robots aren't life.

>> No.4625376

>>4625339
No, I didn't post anything that was incorrect. You simply can't follow simple english.

>> No.4625379

>>4625350
what is life?

>> No.4625380 [DELETED] 

>>4625376
>hurr
>durr
>derp

Can't tell if troll or mentally impaired. You posted wrong and incorrect garbage and I corrected you.

>> No.4625383 [DELETED] 

>>4625379
What is love?

>> No.4625398
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4625398

>>4625380
what incorrect garbage did I post? I posted hypotheticals about viruses of extraterrestrial origin that were well-founded, and hypotheticals about extraterrestrial microbes that, though far from complete in all possibilities considered, were also well founded.

You were incapable of comprehending simple english and a somehow got the idea I was only talking about viruses even though I explicitly started a new paragraph and said microbes rather than viruses.

Are you frustrated?

>> No.4625400 [DELETED] 

>>4625398
You said virusses are microbes. That's fucking wrong, you retard. You must be in highschool and never took a biology course.

>> No.4625422

>>4625400
he didn't, but you're just trolling

7/10, he replied a lot

>> No.4625427 [DELETED] 

>>4625422
He fucking did. Show me how he didn't.

>inb4 hurrrrrrrrr he made a paragraph

>> No.4625433
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4625433

>>4625400
Uh huh. No I didn't. Can you show me where I said that viruses are microbes?

>> No.4625439 [DELETED] 

>>4625433
0/10, shitty troll.

In your dumb post >>4625280 you implied viruses were microbes.

>> No.4625448
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4625448

>>4625439
No I didn't. Can you show how that post implies that?
>calling me a troll
Cute.

>> No.4625451

>>4625439
not the anon

but new paragraphs beginning "As for... " are pretty much guaranteed to be about something new.

not sure if troll, or have language difficulties

>> No.4625459 [DELETED] 

>>4625448
Of course I call you a troll because that's what you are: a troll. Just admit that your post was wrong and that you don't know shit about biology.

>>4625451
>samefagging
Seriously, troll?

>> No.4625461

just to muddy the waters, some definitions of microbe include virus

http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Microbe

inb4 you don't know what "some" means

>> No.4625464

>>4625459
not samefagging, just enjoying your extended troll

>> No.4625467
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4625467

>>4625459
Oh , so you can't show how that post implies that viruses are microbes. You're just just stating that over ang over again without ever substantiating your argument. That's a shame.

>> No.4625469

>>4625439

He didnt actually.

Whats with all the Aspies in this thread anyway? When you actually do some real science you'll appreciate that viruses are frequently referred to as microbes, in spite of their lack of a cellular component.

>> No.4625477 [DELETED] 

>>4625461
>living organism
>virus
This site is so fucking wrong.

>>4625467
You posted crap and you know it. I told you to reread your post but I know you won't because your trolling.

>>4625469
Bullshit. 0/10

>> No.4625499

>>4625477
Explain it to me troll, because this troll is becomming dull, how does he show it?

also

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microorganism

Some microbiologists also include viruses, but others consider these as non-living.

>> No.4625504

>>4625477
>your trolling
>your

ooh what a give away

>> No.4625510 [DELETED] 

>>4625499
>microorganism
>microbe
>implying they're the same thing

1/10

>> No.4625516

I doubt viruses would be a problem because they use signal molecules to identify and latch onto their targets. Alien viruses will have totally different identifying molecules.

Bacteria just get in there and start wrecking shit, so alien bacteria could be a problem.

>> No.4625520

>>4625510
impliedfacepalm.jpg

>> No.4625549

Life/not-life boundary is blurred when talking about viruses. This discussion you're having is way too long and makes no sense. Definitions are supposed to be just tools, in biology.

I hate /sci/'s mathfags almost as much as I love math IRL.