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The Alien Invasion Has Started

That's totally horrifying.

"Survives" heated to 600F?

Why do I have images of The Andromeda Strain, and some other short story* I read a million years ago that I can't remember the name of crashing in my brain?

* Seriously it was probably 25+ years ago that I read it. The story (as I barely remember it) was about a chemical found or returned from a space mission that caused water to change properties in a way that was very dangerous to humans (I think it killed all the astronauts?), maybe made it unabsorable by our bodies, and it was accidently washed into a drain. A short time later a company was selling "ice cubes that sank" in drinks (a sign that the chemical was in the water supply). Something like that. Does this ring a bell with anyone?
 
They're here!!

alien_dance.gif
 
Very Cool to think that this might be our first encounter with aliens.

I sort of hope that this pans out to be true just so I can say that I was alive when we first made contact.
 
Its like a bad sci-fi movie, the first confirmed aliens arrived in "blood rain".

" So far, one preliminary DNA test has come back positive." Does that mean that DNA was found? Why are people talking about no DNA?
 
Very, very interesting! :eek:

DNA or not, I'd still like to know how these things rained from the sky.
 
runplaysleeprun said:
" So far, one preliminary DNA test has come back positive." Does that mean that DNA was found? Why are people talking about no DNA?
Click to expand...

I think it's just poorly worded and explained. It looks like the test is to confirm the absence of DNA. So I assume a positive test means an absence of DNA.
 
yellow said:
That's totally horrifying.

"Survives" heated to 600F?

Why do I have images of The Andromeda Strain, and some other short story* I read a million years ago that I can't remember the name of crashing in my brain?

* Seriously it was probably 25+ years ago that I read it. The story (as I barely remember it) was about a chemical found or returned from a space mission that caused water to change properties in a way that was very dangerous to humans (I think it killed all the astronauts?), maybe made it unabsorable by our bodies, and it was accidently washed into a drain. A short time later a company was selling "ice cubes that sank" in drinks (a sign that the chemical was in the water supply). Something like that. Does this ring a bell with anyone?
Click to expand...


Didn't read the book but saw the movie. Think red lights and squeeze, thats AS.
 
At least the uproar will be a lot milder this way... imagine everyone going nuts when aliens would land in spacecrafts and walk amongst us. I guess I prefer the first one, although the shock of the second one could certainly be beneficial to solving our social and ethnical problems.

But it's probably nothing at all.
 
I hate to disappoint, but I have read the article and its crap. This is a physcist trying to be a biologist and failing. I can't believe this got published. The article is mostly just him speculating and involved no valid scientific analysis.

Send me some cells and I'll have an ID for you in a week or two.
 
yellow said:
* Seriously it was probably 25+ years ago that I read it. The story (as I barely remember it) was about a chemical found or returned from a space mission that caused water to change properties in a way that was very dangerous to humans (I think it killed all the astronauts?), maybe made it unabsorable by our bodies, and it was accidently washed into a drain. A short time later a company was selling "ice cubes that sank" in drinks (a sign that the chemical was in the water supply). Something like that. Does this ring a bell with anyone?
Click to expand...
"Ice-Nine" by Kurt Vonnegut?
 
AmbitiousLemon said:
I hate to disappoint, but I have read the article and its crap. This is a physcist trying to be a biologist and failing. I can't believe this got published. The article is mostly just him speculating and involved no valid scientific analysis.

Send me some cells and I'll have an ID for you in a week or two.
Click to expand...

Raining on his parade? Better send off a sample for analysis. :D
 
AmbitiousLemon said:
I hate to disappoint, but I have read the article and its crap. This is a physcist trying to be a biologist and failing. I can't believe this got published. The article is mostly just him speculating and involved no valid scientific analysis.

Send me some cells and I'll have an ID for you in a week or two.
Click to expand...

Didn't he specifically say he didn't know yet? And what is not scientific about testing for DNA? Not quite sure I get your point.
 
jsw said:
"Ice-Nine" by Kurt Vonnegut?
Click to expand...

That was my immediate thought as well, but doesn't seem to be what yellow meant. (Unless, as he says, he got it all wrong. :D )
 
Diatribe said:
Now the scary part is that it not only survives that temperature but reproduces at that temperature.
Click to expand...

Actually the article doesn't mention anything about surviving at high temperatures or reproducing.

The test for DNA wasn't done properly.

They didn't have a single biologist look at this. These are two physicists with no training in biology. You would get no better analysis by giving it to a person you ran into on the street. From the comments they make in the article it sounds like they have a very poor understanding of basic biology.
 
Diatribe said:
Now the scary part is that it not only survives that temperature but reproduces at that temperature.
Click to expand...
Is that considered hot sex? ;)

On a serious note, completely agree. This definitely limits ways to destroy it, if the need arises.
 
AmbitiousLemon said:
Actually the article doesn't mention anything about surviving at high temperatures or reproducing.
Click to expand...

FWIW:

article said:
Stranger still, dozens of his experiments suggest that the particles may lack DNA yet still reproduce plentifully, even in water superheated to nearly 600 degrees Fahrenheit .
Click to expand...

I take that to mean that (assuming it's real), it divides and recreates itself in very, very, very, hot temps. Meaning it's still "alive", where many (most?) other forms of life, as we know it, would be dead.

sushi said:
On a serious note, completely agree. This definitely limits ways to destroy it, if the need arises.
Click to expand...

See? That's the first thing I thought.. have I watched too many sci-fi movies?
Am I to into reading Judas Unchained (followup to Pandora's Star) [good reads if you like sci-fi]??

First thought.. how do I kill it?
 
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