Would viruses even be able to attack an alien life form?

[Quixote1818]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the General Discussion forum).

This never occurred to me but they would need to trick their cells into letting them inside but their cell structure would likely be way, way, way different from ours. Probably a different type of DNA entirely. A virus would not have a clue how to attach onto an aliens cell much less get inside and even if it did it probably would not have the right mechanism to hijack them. They have a hard enough time jumping from one species to another much less an entirely different life form from another planet.

Seems like bacteria and the toxins they release would be more likely do well in a foreign body and cause trouble.

[leftstreet]

1. DURec for the thread title alone

Can't answer the question

[JoeOtterbein]

2. Most likely...

...no.

[soothsayer]

3. Guess it depends. A simple coronavirus wipes out the aliens in War of the Worlds of course

Maybe something else would get them. Salt water, like in Alien Nation. Mold? Pollen?

Interesting thing to ponder.

[PCIntern]

4. Trump got sick. Point proven.

[ooky]

9. Lol

[Marthe48]

5. I have a book called Life in Darwin's Universe

I read it decades ago. I remember that the author thought some evolutionary steps might be universal, such as development of the minimum number of eyes or legs to be an effective individual, and how those aspects of a species would be influenced by the environment of various planets.
Interesting question about viruses being able to attack aliens. As we wonder, we want to avoid the pitfalls of the movie Independence Day, where computers universally used Windows

[Quixote1818]

14. Yes, that was funny that their computer's worked just like ours. LOL nt

[Mattgoetznolovefromm]

6. Well it attacks Rethuglicans, so yes, alien life forms (nt)

[lutherj]

7. Seems like your second paragraph contradicts the first, unless you're contrasting foreign

with alien. I think what you’re saying in the first paragraph is a common criticism of War of the Worlds. Is this a random thought or is this apropos of something?

[Quixote1818]

12. How is it a contradiction?

Bacteria are single-cell organisms with their own means of reproduction and can jump from one species to another quite easily. Viruses can't. So if any kind of disease would be able to jump to an alien life with strange DNA or whatever they are made of, it would almost for sure be bacterial and not a virus. They might have trouble too but would most certainly be more suited to surviving on an alien body than a virus. Of course lots of things could be toxic on our planet from fungi to common elements in the air, soil, water etc.

This was just a random thought as I watched the below Sci-show video. I got to thinking about Aliens coming to earth doing stuff like in the video to prepare themselves to live here. It then occurred to me that a virus wouldn't work on their cells.

[former9thward]

8. Why are you concerned about this?

[Quixote1818]

15. Was just a random thought. See post #12 with the sci-show video. nt

[andym]

10. Would be almost impossible unless the alien organism somehow shared a common ancestor

viruses are dependent on using the cell's machinery to replicate and such would need to have at least a compatible genetic code, which, even in the unlikely case the alien life was somehow similar and used DNA, RNA etc, would almost certainly be different. The genetic code connects how DNA and RNA direct the production of proteins.
Bacteria on the other hand might be able to attack, if some of the biomolecules were similar. I guess we can rule viruses out for the infectious agent in "War of the Worlds."

"For so it had come about, as indeed I and many men might have foreseen had not terror and disaster blinded our minds. These germs of disease have taken toll of humanity since the beginning of things--taken toll of our prehuman ancestors since life began here. But by virtue of this natural selection of our kind we have developed resisting power; to no germs do we succumb without a struggle, and to many--those that cause putrefaction in dead matter, for instance--our living frames are altogether immune. But there are no bacteria in Mars, and directly these invaders arrived, directly they drank and fed, our microscopic allies began to work their overthrow. Already when I watched them they were irrevocably doomed, dying and rotting even as they went to and fro. It was inevitable. By the toll of a billion deaths man has bought his birthright of the earth, and it is his against all comers; it would still be his were the Martians ten times as mighty as they are. For neither do men live nor die in vain."

[Quixote1818]

13. Agree. That was my conclusion as well. nt

[nolabear]

11. Did you never read War of the Worlds?

[Silent3]

16. Alien biochemistry would probably be so different that the aliens might as well be rocks...

...for as much foothold as terrestrial organisms could make. Viruses would have practically no chance at all, as someone else already pointed out, because they need compatible DNA or RNA machinery in their hosts to exploit.

Bacteria would stand a much better chance of making inroads than viruses, but still not that great a chance unless it turns out that some the basics of biochemistry, like sugars and fats and proteins, were similar enough to be something bacteria could exploit as nutrients.

[backtoblue]

17. Perhaps viruses ARE the aliens

[Omaha Steve]

18. After a review by forum hosts....LOCKING

In response to some alerts. Does not meet the GD SoP. Can be posted in creative speculation.

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