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[scrdest]

Yeh, was referring to how he managed to write a virus for an alien OS on alien hardware. Even got it to display gfx.
BUT I wouldn't think organisms are quite as specific- unless they operate with very different fluids/sugars/proteins which utterly lack important elements, they'd have to watch out. And no matter what they could run into trouble if they enter environments similar to their native stuff.

Virulence factors are pretty specific, actually. Regular-ass microbes cannot survive inside the body proper; pathogens primarily are able to work by subversion - hiding in cells, posing as something else... and even otherwise, they need to secrete stuff to adapt a body to their needs - that's why some bacteria are hemolytic, they need a fuckton of free iron and human body sequesters the shit out of iron.

For viruses, even more so - there's a bunch of lucky bastards who are immune to HIV altogether, because of a single mutation that changes a single protein the virus uses to enter the cell in the first place, rendering it unable to, well, do that.

And immune systems work on a whitelist, not a blacklist - it's either ours, or learned to be safe during development, or it's presumed hostile and ENGAGE KILL ERRYTHING.

[Graknorke]

Well that's not exactly true. There is a whitelist, and then anything not on the whitelist gets put on the blacklist eventually should it show up.

[Sonlirain]

Well that's not exactly true. There is a whitelist, and then anything not on the whitelist gets put on the blacklist eventually should it show up.

Exacly. Otherwise flu shots and the like would be redundant because everyone would develop autism without evil jewish doctors poking needles at our young.

[scrdest]

Well that's not exactly true. There is a whitelist, and then anything not on the whitelist gets put on the blacklist eventually should it show up.

That's the same thing I was trying to say in 'learned to be safe during development', just more clearly. First year of life, IIRC (I better R it C indeed, or my boss will eat me alive).

[Graknorke]

Before birth any immune cells that try to engage any threat are destroyed and never produced again.

[scrdest]

Before birth any immune cells that try to engage any threat are destroyed and never produced again.

Which ones do you mean?

And I realized what you guys meant. Yeah, that's more accurate.

[GrizzlyAdamz]

Yeah, but, there're millions/billions of microbes out there.
Could there not be some/many that could 'accidentally' mimick alien structures/defeat alien immune defenses & thereby 'accidentally' munch on their delicious biomatter?

[Rolan7]

If the aliens didn't have immune systems (or vastly different ones) then bacteria and fungi might eat them alive, I think.

[Chosrau]

Before birth any immune cells that try to engage any threat are destroyed and never produced again.

Which ones do you mean?

The body doesn't actually know which antigens are self and non-self. He therefore produces a shitload (2*10^8 or something around that) pairwise different configured antibody producer cells. Those which actually recognize antigens are then eliminated. The body basically assumes all antigenes to be present at that time to be "self". Everything else is non-self.

[EnigmaticHat]

The human body is a wonderous thing.

[BigFatStupidHead]

Even without an immune system, aliens might be able to fend off fungal and bacterial infestation just by being made of the wrong stuff - like if their proteins are novel or of the opposite chilarity.

Also, post to watch and HYPE.

[i2amroy]

You'd think they'd want more human-looking troops, as opposed to less human ones, considering the PR campaign they're trying to run.

The idea is that the aliens came and solved all of our problems because man is stupid and all that. If the aliens turned themselves to look more like us that would kinda actually have the opposite effect. It would be like if a god came down and told you that all your problems are due to what you are but he'll help you anyways, then turned around and made himself just like you were before he was there. It directly conflicts with the whole "because humans were stupid" thing.

On the other hand making yourself look more alien actually amplifies how much different you are than humans, and lets everyone identify you as a "glorious savior" on sight.

[sambojin]

Glorious Saviours. Bellowing Clit Faces. Snakes with Boobs.

You can justify just about anything with the level of stupid we have, it seems.

[Teneb]

I guess having aliens looks somewhat human generates some level of empathy. Or the ethereals just figured out that appealing to various fetishes would get them more popularity. Either option seems to have worked.

The only hybrid that looks like had any real advantage to gain from human DNA was the sectoid, who got better psi powers and physical strength... and a mouth.

[Wimopy]

Makes you wonder how it ate before, if it ever ate. Hm... now I want to have alien ecology and biology info in larger amounts.

Thinking of that... isn't the alien army a clone army? If so, can't they just obliterate all humanity except for a few and then clone them as faithful puppets? I guess it's probably something like genetic diversity or something that they need though. Or they want to breed a human with an ideal genome and abilities first, like the Volunteer.