Meteorite causes illness in Peru

[avatar4321]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070918...uhealthoffbeat

its an interesting story. Hopefully its not a serious issue illness for the people currently sick. But it raises questions.

Is this just an illness from chemicals or some other agents?

or

Is this some sort of strain of bacteria previously unknown?

If its the second, this has huge implications. It confirms that there is life outside this planet. But it also has dangerous impacts because if its some sort of bacteria/virus, the human immune system hasnt been exposed to it before and it could start a major epidemic.

Definitely something to keep an eye on.

[Hagbard Celine]

It's like "The Andromeda Strain" has become real.

[hjmick]

It's like "The Andromeda Strain" has become real.

Nice, a Michael Crichton reference. You don't see many of those these days, at least not the older books.

[Gaffer]

Will be interesting to learn more. The impact could have opened a fissure containing carbon monoxide or some other gas that caused the illness. Would like more info about how soon the illness seemed to take effect. If the police officers were in need of oxygen then it sounds more like a gas than a virus or bacteria.

[avatar4321]

Will be interesting to learn more. The impact could have opened a fissure containing carbon monoxide or some other gas that caused the illness. Would like more info about how soon the illness seemed to take effect. If the police officers were in need of oxygen then it sounds more like a gas than a virus or bacteria.

Like I said, it will be interesting to see what comes of this. and i do think its likely to be some gas influence, but there is always a possibility...

[dan]

Yeah.... I've seen too many movies start out like this. I don't know about you, but I'm freaked out!

[Hagbard Celine]

"They" are already covering this up. Even though there were multiple witnesses who actually saw the meteor hit the ground, "they" have decided to present this as a "natural geyser." Likely story. They're covering this up so nobody knows that a meteorite contaminated with alien life has been recovered.

http://www.space.com/scienceastronom...meteorite.html

[Gaffer]

"They" are already covering this up. Even though there were multiple witnesses who actually saw the meteor hit the ground, "they" have decided to present this as a "natural geyser." Likely story. They're covering this up so nobody knows that a meteorite contaminated with alien life has been recovered.

http://www.space.com/scienceastronom...meteorite.html

Couldn't get the second site you gave to connect. But nowhere was there a mention of a cover up. They explained it the same way I did. There could have been a meteor impact that open a geological fissure, which emitted gases that effected anyone near by.

For what reason would they cover up a possible source of alien life? NASA would be all over this and shouting it to the world. It's not like they are getting a crashed ship to back engineer and want to keep it secret.

[dan]

For what reason would they cover up a possible source of alien life? NASA would be all over this and shouting it to the world. It's not like they are getting a crashed ship to back engineer and want to keep it secret.

What if, say, they knew of these alien life forms and the threat they posed to human life, yet kept it quiet for the good of society, and now the aliens have struck out against us? They wouldn't be shouting it to the world then.


Here, I'll get it ----->

[Dilloduck]

What if, say, they knew of these alien life forms and the threat they posed to human life, yet kept it quiet for the good of society, and now the aliens have struck out against us? They wouldn't be shouting it to the world then.


Here, I'll get it ----->

I wouldn't think it would be too out of line for a government to want to control how information is released if humans are facing something so catastrophic that it would cause dangerous panic and chaos.

[dan]

I wouldn't think it would be too out of line for a government to want to control how information is released if humans are facing something so catastrophic that it would cause dangerous panic and chaos.

I was just joking around.

However, say there was government knowledge that aliens were plotting to destroy the planet, you'd be satisfied with the government not telling you about it? Not me!

[Hagbard Celine]

I was just joking around.

However, say there was government knowledge that aliens were plotting to destroy the planet, you'd be satisfied with the government not telling you about it? Not me!

I'd sell my house and invest in cave real estate. Maybe the Arabs had it right all along!

[Gaffer]

There's no reason to put a biology weapon in a meteor and send it into a sparsely inhabited part of the planet. A major city would be the first choice and in a quiet secretive way that insures maximum infection.

If this was some form of virus it would be just a random thing.Just the fact that it could survive space, intense heat and even the other microbes of earth means it would have to be a really tough bug.

As for aliens, what would the majority of the population do if news was released that they existed? How would it effect the economy? How would it effect peoples actions? How would fundamentalists of any religion react to this news? After all a number of christians, even here, have said aliens would be demons disguised as alien beings. So there may be a combined government cover up to keep things going with business as usual.

[Dilloduck]

There's no reason to put a biology weapon in a meteor and send it into a sparsely inhabited part of the planet. A major city would be the first choice and in a quiet secretive way that insures maximum infection.

If this was some form of virus it would be just a random thing.Just the fact that it could survive space, intense heat and even the other microbes of earth means it would have to be a really tough bug.

As for aliens, what would the majority of the population do if news was released that they existed? How would it effect the economy? How would it effect peoples actions? How would fundamentalists of any religion react to this news? After all a number of christians, even here, have said aliens would be demons disguised as alien beings. So there may be a combined government cover up to keep things going with business as usual.

I would hope so-----people still are crazy enough to kill themselves when all the planets line up. I'd hate to see the panic that an alien invasion story would create.

[Gaffer]

I would hope so-----people still are crazy enough to kill themselves when all the planets line up. I'd hate to see the panic that an alien invasion story would create.

I think there would be a panic if they were just shown to exist. They could be totally benevolent and people would still freak.