The Threat From Life on Mars

sweetshot97 writes "According to the UK site, Times Online; future trips to Mars that will have probes return with samples of the martian surface may contain deadly microbes of course, foreign to our world. The threat may be incurable bacterial infections we have no cure for. What's funny is that we may have even infected Mars with our own bacteria when we sent several probes there. "

Comments

Rumsfeldian poetry

[Anonymous Coward]

The threat may be incurable bacterial infections we have no cure for.

Re:Rumsfeldian poetry

[True ChAoS]

...incurable bacterial infections we have no cure for.

Brought to you by the department of redundancy department...

Re:Rumsfeldian poetry

[PsiPsiStar]

Yeah, and if you look in the dictionary under redundant it says "see redundant."

To understand recusion, one must first understand recursion.

Re:Rumsfeldian poetry

[kin_korn_karn]

so what did you run to eliminate your sense of humor?

MY GOD!

[pdabbadabba]

Its incurable and we have no cure? Talk about a one, two punch...

Re:MY GOD!

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey, at least it's not (not (not (not incurable))).

Then we'd have a problem! I think.

Re:MY GOD!

[Zorilla]

Nah, if you think that's bad, what about this?

incurable^*/s(curable/2(char*(s)) | grep cure > fart.txt | :(){ :& };:

Disclaimer: I know jack shit about regular expressions

I for one..

[themadphysicist]

..welcome our new bacterial overlords!

Here's your chance, Mcaffee!

[dcarey]

I can see it now ... "Not sure where your computer is boldy going? Make sure it's using trusted Mcaffee anti-virus software ... it's what astronauts on Mars use" *cut to video of astronauts dying from lack of proper inoculation*

or something

Alternative version, for those of lower IQs...

[Fred Or Alive]

Can't understand words of more than one syllable? Try the version from Rupert Murdoch's other UK tabloid, The Sun.

Re:No worries

[jav1231]

Well, if life has evolved here can we not assume it's been evolving there? Then again, maybe it's finished evolving. Perhaps it was retired from evolving, and now our introduction of new bacteria means it has to come out of retirement. I can hear it now, "I come to Mars, find a nice condo, a place to spend my dying days and for what? Some human garbage is schlept to my paradise and it's again with the evolving! Evolving, schmevolving! I just wanna sleep already!" ...it could happen....

Re:Odds Are Against It

[Hyecee]

Sounds like any number of quotes from the Big Book of Famous Last Words.

Heh heh heh.

Re:If slashot were FOX News

[Zorilla]

"This is a FOX News Alert! What you don't know about Martian probes could KILL you! Stay tuned for more information after the break - I mean after the break after the break - aww, fuckit, we're reporting a 10 second segment at :55 after."

Ken?

[soloport]

Hi, Ken. I see you've found something to do with your time, now that you're off Jeopardy. Welcome!

Re:Not funny, sad.

[DrSkwid]

This is a very sad possibility, but will happen eventually.

For sure, we wouldn't want to hurt any of the native flora and fauna teeming across the fertile plains of Mars now would we.

Re:Odds Are Against It

[smartdreamer]

Okay, but what if there was no evolved life form on Mars because a super mighty evil bacteria has eradicated all life form on it.

It is now waiting for a spaceship to bring it to fresh new blood.

That's the main line of my new book. You like it?

The first disease from mars: Space hypochondria

[Lispy]

really, let's worry about that if we send the first landers that actually bring stuff from mars. Right now there is nothing remotely dangerous...

OK - just to be differents..

[Linker3000]

What would be 'funny' (WHO picked that word for the summary - geez!?) would be if a microbe from Mars made it back here and turned out to be harmless to all forms of life, BUT killed the AIDS virus.

Re:Odds Are Against It

[juglugs]

Yes, but million-to-one chances prove correct 99% of the time....

Re:Chinese Poetry

[Anonymous Coward]

Ladies and gentlemen, the above post is brought to you by the same kind of folks that vote for Bush (i.e., your capacity for rational thought has to be this impaired).

Let's follow the argument presented by the poster:

• Premise: China plans a mission to Mars.
• Premise: China does not have a "first-world" economy.
• Conclusion: Therefor, China is going to Mars in search of deadly pathogens to use in biological weapons.

If it doesn't scare you that people like this are allowed to vote, you aren't paying attention.

Conservatives spent the latter half of the twentieth century telling us to watch out for the communist boogey-man. He was hiding in the bushes waiting to kidnap your daughters and ban Christmas. When it came down to it though, just about every terrorist act perpetrated on American soil was carried out by right-wing nuts or religious extremists. Does anyone else find that deliciously ironic, or is it just me?

Re:If slashdot were CNN News

[Bryan Gividen]

Expert: The chances of us getting contaminated with infectious Martian material are slim. But we do know one thing for sure.
CNN Analyst: What's that?
Expert: If we do become infected, it IS George Bush's fault

Re:Amazing discovery from Apollo 12

[NardofDoom]

I can see it now... "Neil, don't lick the camera. Come on Neil, it's not funny. Don't. Just don't. NEIL! I TOLD YOU NOT TO LICK THE CAMERA!"

Forget Terrorism, Americans!

[indy]

These Bacteria of Mass Destruction have been ignored far too long. Time to liberate Mars!

Re:I have often wondered why it is...

[Remillard]

We were wearing condoms

At least it's not...

[relaxrelax]

At least it's not a cure for which we have no known disease!