Martian rock samples could bring extraterrestrial viruses to Earth, expert warns

[Kyle]

As if the planet didn't have enough to worry about with the coronavirus pandemic, one researcher is worried about extraterrestrial viruses.

Former NASA Ames director Scott Hubbard said he's concerned that future rock samples brought back from Mars will need to be checked and quarantined, as will the astronauts who return from future visits.
“I have heard from some colleagues in the human spaceflight area that they can see how, in the current environment, the general public could become more concerned about bringing back some alien microbe, virus or contamination,” Hubbard told the Stanford News in an interview.

Martian rock samples could bring extraterrestrial viruses to Earth, expert warns

As if the planet didn't have enough to worry about with the coronavirus pandemic, one researcher is worried about extraterrestrial viruses.

www.foxnews.com

 

[SamSpade]

Otherwise known as "The Andromeda Strain".

Two thoughts -
It sort of presupposes that there has ever been something resembling life on Mars at some time in the past, for us all to be "infected" with something from Mars. Moreover, it means that somehow viruses had formed sometime in the past on Mars for enough similarities to have arisen that it could exploit life on Earth to its advantage. That to me seems about as likely as you or me being infected with a computer virus.

The other is - believe it or not, rocks from Mars have LONG since arrived on Earth. Although I don't know the age of the Martian rocks off the top of my head, they've definitely established that some meteorites came from Mars (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_meteorite ). There's a small conjecture that it may have ALREADY influenced life, on Earth.

 

[UglyBear]

That's awesome! Just imagine: if some bad bug survived in some dormant state on Mars for thousands of years, and then gets to Earth and wakes up, that will be some tough bug. And it probably eats Lysol and bleach for breakfast.

About bugs from Mars already being here: sure, there's high chance that some hitchhikers made it to Earth on those meteorites, and there's even a chance that they integrated into the life matrix of Earth.

So that means that we are already compatible with the Martian bugs! as per @SamSpade 's analogy above, that Martian DNA (stay with me here) means that we have a USB port in our skulls so we CAN get infected with the computer virus.

But now think of this: what if those Martian bugs that incorporated into Earth life were the herbivore-equivalent variety? And the new ones, that can come here on new rocks and space suits, are like the Velociraptor equivalent of bugs? And they just came upon a huge expanse of Earth populated with cows, as far as the Martian bug eyes can see?.

 

[WingsOfGold]

That's awesome! Just imagine: if some bad bug survived in some dormant state on Mars for thousands of years, and then gets to Earth and wakes up, that will be some tough bug. And it probably eats Lysol and bleach for breakfast.

About bugs from Mars already being here: sure, there's high chance that some hitchhikers made it to Earth on those meteorites, and there's even a chance that they integrated into the life matrix of Earth.

So that means that we are already compatible with the Martian bugs! as per @SamSpade 's analogy above, that Martian DNA (stay with me here) means that we have a USB port in our skulls so we CAN get infected with the computer virus.

But now think of this: what if those Martian bugs that incorporated into Earth life were the herbivore-equivalent variety? And the new ones, that can come here on new rocks and space suits, are like the Velociraptor equivalent of bugs? And they just came upon a huge expanse of Earth populated with cows, as far as the Martian bug eyes can see?.

Magic 8 ball says Water will kill it, no worry.

 

[vraiblonde]

They're just trying to screw up Space Force and Trump's interest in sending a team to Mars.

 

[Cali Transplant]

I remember that the Apollo astronauts returning from the moon had to be quarantined for 30 days in an airstream trailer when they returned.

 

[limblips]

The cat is out of the bag. Now Trump and Putin need to come up with a whole new plan to control the world!

 

[Hijinx]

What makes this guy an expert on martian virus's when he has never seen one.
He is no more expert than I am, I haven't seen one either.