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Re: starship-design: Alien life



"Kyle R. Mcallister" wrote:
> 
> SSD:
> 
> On the subject of contamination by alien life, we can only speculate.
> But we can attempt to make 'educated guesses' and define safety
> precautions. I have been thinking long about this subject, and I think
> it will be a much more dangerous problem than we think. Let us first
> consider what life is: must it be carbon based? Could it be silicon,
> boron, or tungsten based? Well, that depends on what you call life. Only
> carbon seems able to make well workable amino acids, but what of the
> possibility of life that does not use amino acids, or enzymes? Something
> truly alien to anything we have previously encountered. On an earthlike
> planet, or something similar, life will probably be similar to earth
> life, at least in the use of DNA or carbon based amino acids. This life
> would not pose a serious threat since it was not adapted to human
> proteins. However, as has been pointed out, precautions must be taken in
> the off chance they could infect humans. But now consider life existing
> in an extremely hostile environment. There are those who believe life
> would never exist in an inhospitable environment, but that fact it made
> moot by studying life here on earth. Any lifeforms that exist on a
> hostile world would likely have to survive on nearly anything. As such,
> they could prove to be incredibly dangerous to humans. Something like
> the 'andromeda strain,' but possibly much worse. Decon procedures should
> be carried out when landing on any world, not just earthlike ones.
> 
> Kyle R. Mcallister

     I think the only real danger is the upright creatures with big
brains
and low wisdom. Any other life that could of floated in like the
'andromeda strain,'
would of happened allready. The real danger things that are slightly
harmfull
that could be a big pain.... take rabbits in australia for example...
remember
the tribbles and captain kirk....
Ben.