Re: For Consideration

[Kevin C Houston <hous0042@maroon.tc.umn.edu>]

> >on anti-biotics, Kelly is right.  all my Bio-Chem Books show that 
> >Anti-biotics attacks certain specific Key reactions that all life must 
> >use.  For example, Sulfa drugs attack the Flavin pathway.  Thus unless 
> >the bugs are supplied with the component, they cannot survive (unless 
> >they have a mutant enzyme which can distinguish between the proper flavin 
> >precursor and the sulfa drug.  This is what I meant by the evolutionary 
> >age of the life being important.
> 
> So does this mean that we can kill alien-life with anti-biotics as long as
> their development is not far beyond ours?
> 

Yes, Provided they are LH protein, RH sugar, carbon/oxygen based life forms 
with DNA utilizing similar Biochem pathways.  :)

in fact, I would say that _any_ carbon based life could be killed with 
the proper chemicals (and leave us unharmed,) the Question is how long 
would it take for us to find the proper chemicals?

Kevin (to whom 1E18 Watts of maser energy sounds really good right now)