Do you think diseases are bad right now? Just wait until an infection from another world arises.
Scientists are starting to raise awareness about the very real danger of alien contamination. Some scholars even believe NASA and other space organizations aren't doing enough to protect against extraterrestrial illnesses.
This is all part of the new area of "invasion science," which looks at how organisms on one planet might infect those on another.
"What I'd argue is that, given the fact that there are now definite plans in place to explore new places that may harbor existent life — these constitute a serious threat that were not in play before,” Anthony Ricciardi, a professor of invasion ecology at McGill University.
Contamination Risks According to invasion scientists, we not only risk contaminating alien habitats with our terrible diseases, but we also risk accidently bringing back a foreign pathogen or infections that we don't know how to combat, a la "The Andromeda Strain."
Despite the fact that agencies such as NASA have strong contamination policies in place, some experts believe they are insufficient to entirely protect against the danger.
"We can't afford it if there's even a remote probability of that happening," Athena Coustenis, chair of the Committee on Space Research. "Because once we get there, we're screwed, sorry,"
