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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LightPhoenix" data-source="post: 446659" data-attributes="member: 115">Bacteria don't necessarily have to be able to infect humans at first - most human diseases actually have their origins from animals.  Ironically, the only true simian disease I can think of off the top of my head is AIDS, which only recently became a problem.Anyway, assuming that there is no common ancestor, more important than whether bacteria could infect us is how exactly they work - it's highly unlikely that Martian bacteria would be built like Terran bacteria, unless they have a common ancestor.Temperature and atmospheric pressure are non-issues - presumably if life exists on Mars it is suited to the atmosphere.  Hell, there are bacteria on Earth now that could easily survive in Martian temperatures, and oxygen isn't a requirement for anaerobic bacteria - many of which are found in extremely cold conditions in the first place.It's also a fallacy to assume that on exposure to an Earth-like environment, bacteria from Mars would flourish.  Proteins, specifically enzymes, are very temperature specific (among several specificities).  It's entirely possible, and even probable, that moving a bacterium suited to Martian conditions to Earth would cause the enzymes inside to denature and the bacterium to die.</blockquote>