Re: starship-design: germs in space

[KellySt@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/23/02 9:12:18 PM, clmanges@yahoo.com writes:

>Say, you recall some mention here recently of alien viruses or
>whatever, and how they might like us (for dinner) or not?
>
>Well, it looks like we'd better be careful out there . . .

Hey if simple chemicals can kill/desolve us, why be surprized that alien life 
forms could be able to?



>
>http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/23jan_cellwars.htm?list503653
>
>I was going to try to get some comfort from the notion that they'd
>probably not like us. Things are amazingly complex at the cellular
>level, and a few molecules difference in transmitters, receptors,
>etc., and you've just got nothing going on, and I think this would be
>a likely scenario.

Simple alergies or poisions work like that.  Think of how a tiny amount of 
venom from a spider bit can kill a grown adult.



>
>It might not stay that way, though; those things usually display very
>high rates of reproduction, which means they can evolve faster, and
>they're probably almost as opportunistic as we are.

Like the super bugs that evolved to be antibiotic proof.