Re: starship-design: Re: Aliens, why haven't they contact us?

[KellySt@aol.com]

In a message dated 7/15/97 10:00:24 AM, TLG.van.der.Linden@tip.nl (Timothy
van der Linden) wrote:

>Kelly,
>
>>>Immune systems usually see almost every non-self organism as dangerous. I
>>>wouldn't think that it doesn't matter much whether the non-self organism
>>>comes from space or Earth.
>>>In some cases the body even starts killing something of itself, this is
>>>called an auto-immune disease.
>>
>>Immune systems arn't that good at detecting, much less combating, 'any'
>>non-self organism.  They are best at detecting and defeating things that
the
>>organism routinly is attacked by.  Alien micro life would not be something
>>were 'tuned' to fight or look for.
>
>As far as I know they are quite good at detecting, only finding the
>"antidote" before it is too late can be a problem. However antibiotics
>usually can help quite a lot.

You can't use an antibiotic on alien microbes.  They work by suttle
disruption of celular chemistry.  I.E. something that will kill them, but not
us.

>And even if we were not immune to alien bacteria, would we be able to spot
>it? Likely there are more Earthly bacteria that kill people than Space
bacteria.

No way to know.  Can't even know anything basic about their celular
construction or chemistry.


>>>>As to the microbes from space, thats a very thinly defined theory.
 Besides
>>>>it still gets back to no signs of alien organisms alive here now.
>>>
>>>The latter is exactly the point I wanted to make. No apparent signs, so
>>>whatever comes down, doesn't seem to spread.
>>
>>Or never came here, or whiped out an area to quickly to sustain itself.
>
>Well, that's why I didn't mention it the other discussion :)
>
>To get back to the point: Why would alien bacteria survive better than Earth
>bacteria?

Each taken out of its eco-would tend to react radically.  Most plagues are
from microbes, parasites, or animals that were introduced to an alien species
or ecosystem.  So I expect earths microbes or vermine would be as deadly
there as alien stuff would be here.  Course the microbes are more hardy, so
they should survive better.

>>>Expecting it, has shown to be completely different from knowing it.
>>>Everyone knows that it is quite likely that something terrible can be
>>>expected to happen to them during their lifetime. Yet many get badly hurt
>>>psychologically when it actually happens.
>>>Primordial microbes from Mars hardly compare to beings that have
technology
>>>that looks like magic.
>>
>>Still its unlikely to make us all run home and hide under the bed.  It
never
>>did before when we encountered alien (foreign) cultures with magical
>>technologies and alien forms.  I can't see we'ld be that much less able to
>>handel the same thing now or in the future?
>
>Which "cultures with magical technology" do you mean. I can't recall when WE
>encountered them before. True other cultures did, but I thought they usually
>believed in magic.

We as in humans.  Obviously the current dominent cultures are to recent.
  But the Japanise in the late 1800's to the abos walking out of the jungle
today give plenty of data sources.


>>>I didn't mean we were a threath to the aliens. If they start spreading
>>>technology, some nations may use it in a different way than intended,
which
>>>may change world power in sudden ways. (Eg. Give Saddam Hoessein a ZPE
bomb,
>>>which he nicely puts somewhere in New York.)
>>
>>My point was the aliens wouldn't care about those effects.  If we can't
play
>>nice with the new toys, thats our problem.
>
>Why then contact us and give us the data? Just for the fun to see what
happens?

What else do they have to trade?  Besiodes, exploreres usually have to give
gifts to the primatives.  Helps prevent becoming dinner.  ;)

Seriously thou.  To them it would be the equivalent of tossing out a handfull
of beeds.  <Oh, yeah, fusion.  Heres a description from our history files.>


>>>>If Aliens came all this way, we'ld be the major area of interest on this
>>>>rock.
>>>
>>>True, but dropping in as anthropologists would certainly destroy what they
>>>where looking for. Only if they are psychologists, they would enjoy
playing
>>>games with us.
>>
>>Anthropologists would tend to disagree.
>
>What good is destroying your test subject if your only example?
>
>Tim

What good is exploring if you never take a look at anything?  If you don't
interact with the natives, you might as well stay home.

Kelly