Virology assignment.

[Kusghuul]

Right, for a virology assignment at uni, we're to theoretically create a viral weapon to be used on martians in case of attack. Any ideas to start me off? i'll get all the viral technical stuff to work. STD's are very welcome!

Edit: And this is unrelated to killing my ex and my best mate.

[EagleEye]

I'm personally a fan of anthrax since it's readily available in the postal service already. :p

That or the bubonic plague for that "classical" feel.

Question though, we assuming that the martians breathe Earth atmosphere, or are they protected from inhalation? Reason I ask is the best bio-weapons are things that are inhalable, so that they're much easier to distrubute and ideally will spread in the air to infect as many as possible.

If we assume that they're in a suit, you'll need to think of a delivery system to get it into their bloodstream as well. A simple blow dart wouldn't work, because if they've come all this way to wage war, I'm assume they have the means to stop our primitive bullets, and even more so a flying needle.

[Kusghuul]

I'm personally a fan of anthrax since it's readily available in the postal service already. :p

That or the bubonic plague for that "classical" feel.

Viral, not bacterial, leave C. anthracis and Yersinia out of this!;p

But could probably mimic anthrax; was thinking of basing it on ebola, but making it sexually transmittable.

[chimp]

Right, for a virology assignment at uni, we're to theoretically create a viral weapon to be used on martians in case of attack. Any ideas to start me off? i'll get all the viral technical stuff to work. STD's are very welcome!

Edit: And this is unrelated to killing my ex and my best mate.

Wut? Uni?

First bet is to deduce what kind of lifeform they are, whether its a carbon based one that mimics earth organic chemistry (which is most likely), or some whacky ammonium based lifeform (unlikely if martian as in from mars)

Next you want to decide what area of their biochemistry you want to target, preferably something you will be immune to but they wont be. If its a viral weapon, maybe you make the virus recognise a certain cell membrane protein that is only found on a particular type of martian cell - so only martians can get infected.

Infact thinking about it a viral weapon would be a retarded choice of weapon to use against an alien life form. Viruses rely on their hosts reproductive machinery to replicate themselves, what if the alien life form doesnt even use DNA double helix configuration as found on earth.

tl;dr until you know the aliens biochemistry, whether its similar to earth paralogues or not, it would be pointless to try and design a viral weapon. Your best bet would be a chemical inhibitor targeted at a specific link in their metabolism.

Dont listen to signs, aliens woudnt dissolve in liquid water yet be fine romping around in atmospheric water vapour.

[EagleEye]

Viral, not bacterial, leave C. anthracis and Yersinia out of this!;p

But could probably mimic anthrax; was thinking of basing it on ebola, but making it sexually transmittable.

Only real downside I can see to an STD is that they're a lot easier to quarantine once detected. Don't have sex and it doesn't spread. Make it spread via the air on the other hand and you've infected anyone that comes within a few feet of you. Either way, consider having a long period before it takes effect, similar to the way ant poison is specifically not designed to kill right away and instead is taken back to the nest as "food".

Trick is you're going for disabling the most enemy combatants, not the most lethal concoction you can find. What matters is how many you can take out of the fight at once, not how quickly they die.

[kordoyn]

You'd be screwed if it turns out martians reproduce asexually.

What you need is some sort of quickly evolving RNA virus which has the potential to sit idle in a victim and 'learn' their weakness, then be able to go active once the victim's immune system is compromised by something.

[chimp]

You'd be screwed if it turns out martians reproduce asexually.

What you need is some sort of quickly evolving RNA virus which has the potential to sit idle in a victim and 'learn' their weakness, then be able to go active once the victim's immune system is compromised by something.

A retrovirus is typically just a small ribonucelic acid packing enough instructions to tell a cell to produce reverse transcriptase and a protein coat, nothing more. I dont know what the hell you are thinking of, but viruses dont sit around and 'learn' their victims 'weakness'.

[Spades Felligan]

Something most of us are immune or vaccinated against? Don't want the human population to be exterminated either.

[kordoyn]

A retrovirus is typically just a small ribonucelic acid packing enough instructions to tell a cell to produce reverse transcriptase and a protein coat, nothing more. I dont know what the hell you are thinking of, but viruses dont sit around and 'learn' their victims 'weakness'.

Of course they don't, but you're creating a fictional one.

[epicor]

Right, for a virology assignment at uni, we're to theoretically create a viral weapon to be used on martians in case of attack. Any ideas to start me off? i'll get all the viral technical stuff to work. STD's are very welcome!

Edit: And this is unrelated to killing my ex and my best mate.

i cant remember the name of the story but in a compilation of shorts by Orson Scott Card (the book title is Maps in a Mirror) he wrote a story about a biological war between US and USSR. There are some really inventive ideas for biological weapons in it.

For example:

1 was a bacteria that ingests oraganic metals and excretes (uh, cant remember acid maybe?) The scientists who invented it also made a counter bacteria that ate the metal eaters and coated their entire facility with it. If you can find it online somewhere you will find some really great ideas.

[cosimo84]

seeing how there is no knowledge of life on mars, a virus or other type of organism you send there would only increase the chance of creating life that could evolve into something we would call martians.

[Jamboreen]

The common Cold would destroy them as they have no Immune system to fight such a Eart based virus.

Pretty much any of them, The best are air-based slow acting viruses, which don't kill fast or obviously, somethign small startin with a bit o coughing suddenly a week later your lungs have shriveled into raisens.

now that wold be a kick ass autopsy.

[EagleEye]

The common Cold would destroy them as they have no Immune system to fight such a Eart based virus.

If they're here for war I'm sure they'd have already inoculated themselves against the more common and mundane diseases and viruses we carry. H.G. Wells really didn't give them enough credit for intelligence basic military procedures back when he wrote War of the Worlds.

Besides, the point of this exercise would seem to be "Make a new bio weapon" but worded in a way that doesn't sound like their prof is trying to start a war or commit terrorist acts.

[Jamboreen]

Ah i see,Then we need more information on them.

But assuming they have defended themselves against pretty much all of the common ones, the main problem is how does the virus get into their system?

[Salaman]

Everyone knows aliens like to breed by laying eggs into people and then they hatch and burst out of their chests. So, the plan is to infect everyone (or just the people at risk of coming into contact with the aliens) with an engineered virus that would detect and infect the implanted alien eggs and destroy them before they mature.

[epicor]

according to M.night we just need to have a water gun handy.

[chimp]

The common Cold would destroy them as they have no Immune system to fight such a Eart based virus.

Pretty much any of them, The best are air-based slow acting viruses, which don't kill fast or obviously, somethign small startin with a bit o coughing suddenly a week later your lungs have shriveled into raisens.

now that wold be a kick ass autopsy.

Actually no, it probably woudnt.

Thats like saying the common cold (one of the adenoviruses(?)) would kill any species of animal on earth, just cos. Usually viruses target very specific proteins for entry into a cell, which is why you dont get one super virus that fucks over every species of life on earth - it doesnt work like that.

Its also why bird aids / flu was such a big deal, because crossing the species barrier is such an unusual occurance. Considering how closely related all earth based life is (something like 40% genetic similarity with corn), its unlikely ET life would be infected by earth based viruses.

HOWEVER, that isnt to say they would be vulnerable to other forms of life, bacteria would probably pose a much more significant threat.

Thats why my whole point about using viruses would be retarded, because you would need such an advanced knowledge of their alien biochemistry before being able to design an effective pathogen. You could get double the results in half the time by just using a different pathogen e.g. bacteria or maybe even a parasite, or as a plain chemical reagent.

[5%Luck]

The main problems I see you encountering are they will likely be wearing space suits. That means you will need a delivery device. Weather you puncture their suits or use a polymer acid to erode the bindings could determine the base virus to deploy. Either way if ya get past the suit most earthy biological virus would do the job for you as they would have a completely different immune system and die of the common cold.


GL this sounds like a fun assignment.

[Maize]

Gather all of the people with AIDs together, give them airsoft guns designed to shoot bb sized paintballs that they can fill with a small amount of their own blood, and let em loose to wreak HIV havoc on the alien bastards. Rape and pillage, my diseased friends, rape and pillage.

[Mulambo]

according to M.night we just need to have a water gun handy.

Nevermind that a significant portion of our atmosphere is water vapor.