Finding life on Mars

[Zombie_Babies]

I don't think discovering microbial life elsewhere would surprise anybody in the slightest. I think we al pretty much assume it's there; it's just a question of finding it. If not Mars, Europa or somewhere.

So no, I don't think it would make much difference. It would be a news cycle or two, but it would only being saying what everybody thinks anyway.

Discivering non-microscopic life? That would be epic. And intelligent life would change us forever. But microbes? Nah. We've already made that philosophical leap; we already assume it's there.

This. Srsly, guys, we've discovered life on Earth in places we thought it impossible for anything to live. I'd be more surprised if we never found anything - alive or fossil - anywhere.

 

[Umbran]

Don't think it would change much, people believe what they want to believe, just look at our (the US) society views of globe warming and evolution. It would take an alien invasion to make some believe in life from somewhere other than earth.

It is quite possible that such a find might drive science-denial to even greater stridency in some groups, which could produce some serious political issues. Can't go much beyond that without breaking the no-politics rule, unfortunately.

 

[tomBitonti]

I suppose it depends on what is found.

A sniff of chemicals which is convincing to scientist, but undramatic and hard to understand by laymen?

Actual images of alien life?

Recoverable cells or tissues?

Recoverable cells or tissues which are of the same lineage as our own, or of a completely independent line of creation?

I suspect that what we could detect, today, is just a faint chemical signature which provides solid evidence for life, but which is otherwise undramatic. That would probably lead to more probes to mars, and a few weeks of news, but otherwise would make little difference.

Recoverable cells of a different lineage could have a huge impact.

Thx!

TomB

 

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

Riots! There would be bloody, mad, horrible riots as economists and creationists and others turn to savage violence!

 

[Jhaelen]

It would take an alien invasion to make some believe in life from somewhere other than earth.

Well, even if there _was_ an alien invasion, there'd probably be quite a few denying that these are actually aliens... I mean, there are people who don't believe we've ever been to the moon... An alien invasion wouldn't faze them either.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well, even if there _was_ an alien invasion, there'd probably be quite a few denying that these are actually aliens... I mean, there are people who don't believe we've ever been to the moon... An alien invasion wouldn't faze them either.

What if we were invaded by a aliens...
But they are germs?

Helix, Command & Comquer & The Swarm got me a sci-fi idea - an alien virus that is the harbinger of an entire new ecosystem that has evolved to conquer other worlds. Not with weapons, not with words, just by rewriting genomes (or at least trying to, it's trial and error) and changing the entire planet. No intelligence, no intent, just alien virus and micro-organism that cause mutations or produce seeds of alien plants.

But I suppose that story was already written and I just haven't read it yet?

 

[Jan van Leyden]

But I suppose that story was already written and I just haven't read it yet?

Written? It has already happened! Look araound and see that humankind has to be the result of an attack of aggressive virii from hell!

 

[Jhaelen]

But I suppose that story was already written and I just haven't read it yet?

Well, there's plenty (of very similar stories). Among the most popular ones are Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain written in 1969, and Jack Finney's The Body Snatchers written in 1955. Both have been adapted for the screen repeatedly.

 

[Umbran]

Helix, Command & Comquer & The Swarm got me a sci-fi idea - an alien virus that is the harbinger of an entire new ecosystem that has evolved to conquer other worlds.

There's no problem with an "alien microbe runs rampant on new world" story. Those are a dime a dozen.

There's no problem with an "alien microbe designed against a specific enemy" story. Again, those are common.

There are problems with "alien microbe naturally evolves to take on any and all worlds" scenario. The problem that pops to mind first is that the selection pressure to be able to conquer other worlds happens on the million to billion year timescale (the sub-light travel time between stars) while the selection pressures to do pretty much everything else happens on the order of hours, days, or weeks - the generation time of the virus. The bugs will evolve based on short-term pressures, not long-term ones.

 

[Zombie_Babies]

I have a solution to that: sell the story to Siffy. Sharktopus, anyone? It's not like realism is a requirement for sci-fi ... at least not anymore.