Could alien blood be toxic?
Let's face it, if we were to
ever have an extraterrestrial encounter, it's the sort of question that could
mean the difference between
galactic peace and prosperity on one hand, and a rather unfortunate interspecies
faux pas on the other.
Having a guest's nosebleed strip the flesh from your bones Alien-style
probably isn't the best way to cement a lifelong relationship.
Of course, despite Hollywood fantasies and the rapidly growing number of
exoplanets being discovered, the chances of an alien encounter
are remote. But nevertheless it's interesting to speculate on how
radically different biologies might react when they come together.
Terrestrial biology is built around carbon
and the complex molecule deoxy- ribonucleic acid or DNA.
But this could just be an oddity of Earth.
What if our extraterrestrial neighbors got lumbered with a biology based on
another material - silicon for instance. It's not that likely, as the chemistry of
silicon is rather more limited than that of carbon.
But imagine for a second that it could happen. Silicon analogs of carbon-based
molecules
tend to be extremely reactive. This could be bad news for anyone
inadvertently sharing bodily fluids with a silicon-based buddy -
forget about the blood, even a casual handshake could be fatal.
But truth be told, our blood would probably be just as toxic to them as
theirs was to us -
possibly more so! Even if we stumble across another
carbon-based life-form we may face problems.
We've evolved to breathe and burn oxygen for energy.
But what if our carbon-based neighbors breathed something else?
We already know of terrestrial bacteria that use alternatives to oxygen for
respiration, including substances like
Iron, manganese, chlorine, sulphur, and even Uranium.
If our new intergalactic friend was a bit of a Sulpher-snorter,
we could conceivably have a problem as rather than them exhaling carbon
dioxide it's more likely to be sulphuric acid,
giving a whole new meaning to the "irritating house guest syndrome."
But what if we meet aliens were almost -
but not quite - like us? What if they are carbon-based
oxygen-breathing beings based on something that looks similar
to DNA? Could this not-quite-DNA cause us problems? Will our bodies know what to do
with the
alien nucleic acids it contained? The chances are that our protective enzymes
would break down the foreign molecules and handle
any potential hazards. But there could be lingering questions over immune
responses as our bodies respond to something that they've never before
encountered. And this raises the tricky possibility of
intergalactic species allergies. Not that we're likely to see diplomatic protocols
for avoiding embarrassing alien rashes in our lifetime.
But this last issue isn't as daft as it sounds.
Scientists are already playing around with new molecules that might
conceivably form the basis of totally
artificial life forms. This "synthetic biology"
its cutting edge stuff, but not beyond the bounds of possibility.
So while we are highly unlikely to come face to face with true
extraterrestrial aliens, given the speed with which science and technology are now
progressing,
it could be only a matter of time before we make our
own home-grown aliens. At which point,
asking whether alien blood could be toxic won't be quite as silly as you
might think.
Don't forget to share your thoughts on the risks of
alien blood - whether extraterrestrial or home-grown - in the comments below.
And stay safe.