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Captain Dappet
Forum Revolutionist
Joined: 06 Feb 2002
Posts: 16756
Location: On my supersonic rocket ship.
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 Wed May 28, 2003 7:32 am SARS from Outer Space? |
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| Quote: |
SARS From Space?
British Scientists Offer Alternative Origins of SARS
By Jennifer Warner
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Friday, May 23, 2003
WebMD Medical News
May 23, 2003 -- Could SARS be from space? A group of British scientists is making that case by proposing that the SARS virus may have originated in outer space, fell down to earth, and landed in China where the outbreak began. But most infectious disease experts are sticking to a more conventional explanation for the origins of SARS.
Officials from the World Health Organization and CDC have stated that the previously unknown form of the coronavirus that causes SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) is believed to have evolved naturally in animals or humans.
But in a letter published in the May 24 issue of The Lancet, scientists say an alternative theory of celestial origin is "conspicuously missing in such explanations."
They argue that bacteria are deposited on the Earth every day, and disease-causing bacteria and viruses may be evolving in outer space parallel to those on Earth. And the researchers say the random nature of epidemics adds credence to their argument.
"New epidemic diseases have a record of abrupt entrances from time to time, and equally abrupt retreats," write Chandra Wickramasinghe of Cardiff University in Cardiff, UK, and colleagues. "The patterns of spread of these diseases, as charted by historians are often difficult to explain simply on the basic of endemic infective agents."
But other infectious disease experts say non-cosmic arguments on the origins of SARS are much more convincing based on the evidence so far.
"We have no scientific evidence that SARS or any other infectious disease has dropped off a meteor at this point in time, but we have an open mind," said CDC director Julie Gerberding at a briefing yesterday. "Should we discover any evidence supportive of that, we would let you know."
"I think what we're seeing here is a situation that is most explainable by natural evolution of coronaviruses either from an animal or a poultry source, or possibly a coronavirus that's evolved in a human," says Gerberding. "And we don't know the source of the coronavirus, but we have many hypotheses that are far more plausible than meteorites."
With respect to the SARS outbreak, the British researchers say that at first glance there seems to be enough evidence to support a possible outer space explanation for the origins of SARS.
"First, the virus is unexpectedly novel, and appeared without warning in mainland China. A small amount of the culprit virus introduced into the stratosphere could make a first tentative fall out east of the great mountain range of the Himalayas, where the stratosphere is thinnest, followed by sporadic deposits in neighboring areas," write the researchers.
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SOURCES: The Lancet, May 24, 2003. CDC briefing, May 23, 2003.
� 2003 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.
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What do yuo guys think?
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Kyle Reese
Cadet Gunnery Sergeant
Joined: 21 Apr 2003
Posts: 5672
Location: The United States of America
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| Wed May 28, 2003 5:59 pm |
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maybe SARS bacteria were from a space shuttle
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PrankishSmart
Rear Admiral
Joined: 29 Apr 2002
Posts: 4779
Location: Hobart, Australia.
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| Wed May 28, 2003 10:31 pm |
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I doubt that a virus would be from space, it would burn up in the atmosphere. And if it did come from a comet, we should know that a comet did come down, there should be less doubt if that is the case.
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Captain Michael Pike
Captain
Joined: 14 Jul 2001
Posts: 597
Location: PA
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| Thu May 29, 2003 1:28 am |
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The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) announced the Monday that SARS has mutated from a feline virus. That's right SARS was a virus in cats that somehow mutated to affect humans. The significance of this mutation is astounding (I was gonna say astronomical but I don't wanna confuse anyone) considering the rarity of such an occurence. Typically, animal diseases remain animal diseases.
What's more, SARS is rapidly mutating to fight typical medical procedures. This could be one of the dealiest diseases since the ebola virus which, at the very least, has been confined primarily to Africa. Appropriately, ebola was another mutated virus which was mutated from a monkey virus.
What we could be seeing are the first stages of a new super strain of viruses which the CDCs and WHO have been warning could very well be a possibility IN THE FUTURE...well the future is now.
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1/1
Rear Admiral
Joined: 12 Apr 2002
Posts: 3311
Location: La La Land
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| Fri May 30, 2003 3:00 pm |
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If it keeps mutating to resist one cure then the cure we used before should work coz its mutated to resist another cure. Ok this sounded alot better in my head
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harrykims#1fan
Fan Girl Muskateer
Joined: 08 Feb 2002
Posts: 2916
Location: Leicester UK
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| Sat May 31, 2003 5:55 am |
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i dont beleive that SARS is from outta space cos if it was it'd be call STARS LOL
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Melodramatic
Rear Admiral
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Posts: 4577
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| Sat May 31, 2003 1:15 pm |
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| LtTomParis153 wrote: | | maybe SARS bacteria were from a space shuttle |
I agree in a way, but I thought is came from China
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Captain Dappet
Forum Revolutionist
Joined: 06 Feb 2002
Posts: 16756
Location: On my supersonic rocket ship.
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| Sat May 31, 2003 1:53 pm |
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Didnt you read the article?
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Melodramatic
Rear Admiral
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Posts: 4577
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| Sat May 31, 2003 1:55 pm |
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Yes, but I am being told do meany different things about the SARS thing.
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Captain Dappet
Forum Revolutionist
Joined: 06 Feb 2002
Posts: 16756
Location: On my supersonic rocket ship.
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| Sat May 31, 2003 1:59 pm |
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Yeah, well...In the article it says that some people THINKS it MIGHT have come from outer space and landed in China.
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Melodramatic
Rear Admiral
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Posts: 4577
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| Sat May 31, 2003 2:08 pm |
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Yes, I know that.
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Lindley
Vice Admiral
Joined: 18 Sep 2001
Posts: 6194
Location: Fairfax, VA
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| Sat May 31, 2003 3:02 pm |
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I think its less likely that its from outer space, than that its an attempted biological weapon gone wrong.
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Melodramatic
Rear Admiral
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Posts: 4577
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| Sat May 31, 2003 4:29 pm |
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| Lindley wrote: | | I think its less likely that its from outer space, than that its an attempted biological weapon gone wrong. |
I thought it could possibly been that, some people think that.
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Defiant
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 04 Jul 2001
Posts: 15946
Location: Oregon City, OR
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| Sun Jun 01, 2003 3:41 am |
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Oh come now, thats crazy talk!
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Tech
Rear Admiral
Joined: 12 Apr 2003
Posts: 3476
Location: U.S.S. Galaxia
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| Mon Jun 02, 2003 8:07 am |
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I've heard of people talking about 'SARS from Mars'... I think they could actually be joking...
Well, I think it's very unlikely SARS originated from a biological weapon gone wrong, contrary to the beliefs of my classmates.
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Arellia
The Quiet One
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 4425
Location: Dallas, TX
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| Sat Jun 07, 2003 7:28 pm |
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Probably not from space. Okay...almost definately. It wouldn't make it here-unless it was fossilizes in a meteor-in which case it would probably be dormant. I agree with tech-probably from something man-made.
-------signature-------
Not the doctor... yet
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