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[GlyphGryph]

But it ONLY managed to effect 1/3rd because we don't care!

Wat

It's had how many hundreds of years, with us not giving a shit, and it's still only 33% effective.

10ebbor10 is right - the only way you'd get this sort of outbreak with a parasite is if someone wrapped it into a bioweapon - it's really the only way you'd get this sort of combination of dispersal and long incubation.

You'd really need a simultaneous outbreak to get a zombie apocalypse level shit happening with parasites.

[Scoops Novel]

How effective can you get a bioweapon?

[Darvi]

Planet eating bugs?

[Loud Whispers]

But it ONLY managed to effect 1/3rd because we don't care!

Wat

It's had how many hundreds of years, with us not giving a shit, and it's still only 33% effective.

You consider a 1/3 of humanity insignificant?!

Oh and yes, humanity does give a shit. It's just that there's no effective treatment for the buggers when they're incubating.

[Darvi]

Cat genocide. Problem solved.

I am disappointed that you asa B12er didn't think of that.

[Loud Whispers]

Cat genocide. Problem solved.

I am disappointed that you asa B12er didn't think of that.

I was weighing the risks of a cat genocide aversed to a planet wide tantrum spiral, zombie apocalypse and a cat uprising.

Zombies were preferable.

[10ebbor10]

They may not have ever officially recognized it, but the Soviets had an accidental release of anthrax in Sverdlovsk in 1979. About 100 dead.

Reading the history of those things, it appears the Soviet biowarfare program made it's major advances whenever they had an accidental leak.

But it ONLY managed to effect 1/3rd because we don't care!

Wat

It's had how many hundreds of years, with us not giving a shit, and it's still only 33% effective.

Then again, it's a rather impressive number for a parasite that doesn't target humans in the first place. Getting from one continent to the other is quite a feat for a microbiological beasty.

How effective can you get a bioweapon?

Extinction of most mammal life.

Anthrax airbombing will kill all life in a certain area, and make it inhabitable for centuries. (40 years with cleanup). And that's a virus that is chosen to stay local. More dangerous viri exist and can easily be developped. Scientist managed to make an aerial variant of the pig/ bird flue in a few months, so a dedicated team given a few years will come up with something absolutely destructive.

There's also the fungi that spreads on trees, and then grows in peoples lungs. If you capture it, select for infectability and then drop in all forests, it will slowly kill all human life.

[Scoops Novel]

Planet eating bugs?

Inefficient. What are the main obstacles to caring a disease, incidentally, and getting in the way of that? And how would you implement a kill switch?

[Scoops Novel]

You know... where would we find wholly undiscovered, and threatening, native forms of life on earth?

[Loud Whispers]

You know... where would we find wholly undiscovered, and threatening, native forms of life on earth?

Extremophiles/Laboratories/Rainforests/Cavern Layer 3

[pisskop]

They may not have ever officially recognized it, but the Soviets had an accidental release of anthrax in Sverdlovsk in 1979. About 100 dead.

I read about this, but I am not sure if it was fictional or not.
Some guy who was tired forgot to check the exhaust filters or something.  Pumped it right out into the city and killed his family along with others.

[10ebbor10]

Planet eating bugs?

Inefficient. What are the main obstacles to caring a disease, incidentally, and getting in the way of that? And how would you implement a kill switch?

A kill switch is to use a bacterium and train a virus to kill it, or prepare a vaccin. Main problem for carriers is the human immuno system, which will try to combat the bacterium even if it means the death of the human.

You know... where would we find wholly undiscovered, and threatening, native forms of life on earth?

Jungles. Why do you think we're burning these en masse anyway. Hospitals and cattlefarms are also good places if you want to go for antibioticum resistance.

Notes: Anthrax is a bacterium, not a virus. My bad
The russion bioweapon program is apparently still in operation.

They may not have ever officially recognized it, but the Soviets had an accidental release of anthrax in Sverdlovsk in 1979. About 100 dead.

I read about this, but I am not sure if it was fictional or not.
Some guy who was tired forgot to check the exhaust filters or something.  Pumped it right out into the city and killed his family along with others.

It could have been worse if the wind was going the other way. It could have killed the entire city.

Edit: Also remember the Mad cow disease. That was just a faulty prion, nothing more.

[GlyphGryph]

But it ONLY managed to effect 1/3rd because we don't care!

Wat

It's had how many hundreds of years, with us not giving a shit, and it's still only 33% effective.

You consider a 1/3 of humanity insignificant?!

Over the time period we're talking about for parasite that isn't considered a threat? Yes, that's pretty insignificant.

I'm saying managing to infect 1/3 of humanity when no one tries to counter that infection, no one cares about it, and there are no ill effects is... unimpressive, to say the least. You'd be far better off referring to something like lactobactillus, which has managed to infect roughly 100% of the population.

Oh and yes, humanity does give a shit. It's just that there's no effective treatment for the buggers when they're incubating.

Evidence that anyone cares, please?

[10ebbor10]

As I said before. It's impressive for a parasite that doesn't target humans, and ends up there only by accident.

[pisskop]

Before the school's internet so rudely cut me off I was going to comment how we've been finding potentially alien organism fossilized into meteor(ites).  Or was it fastr fossilized?  Anywho there may be some cysts out there that survive the fall to Earth.