For a long time, some scientists have believed that life could have reached Earth in meteorites. This theory is known as panspermia and answers several questions about our origins. Bacteria and viruses are thought to come to us every day from spaceand these external agents have been to blame for some health conditions that resemble alien diseases in the symptoms they cause. In Supercurioso we bring you a compilation of the strangestof which you can meet some.
5 health problems that are considered alien diseases
1. SARS
The severe acute respiratory virus (SARS) first appeared in China in 2002 and quickly spread throughout the world. It has been one of the most deadly diseases that has appeared suddenly and, therefore, it was quite strange.
Speculation says that the culprit is virus-filled space dust that may have landed in the Himalayas, where the stratosphere is thinnest.
2. Mutant Salmonella
In 2016, during the journey on the space shuttle STS-115, an experiment was carried out; Salmonella bacteria were cultured to observe their development in space and what happened was quite unexpected. The bacteria mutated 167 genes, producing 73 proteins, and the mutant bacterium was shown to be much more lethal than the one on earth.
Apparently, the lack of gravity generated the mutation, which could indicate that in space, any bacteria can become a killer. There is no doubt that mutant salmonella is one of the main alien diseases.
3. Spanish flu
In 1918 the world experienced one of the deadliest epidemics in history; the Spanish flu, which it infected a third of the earth’s population and claimed some 20 million lives.
The lethal strain was a common virus, and astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle claimed that comets reaching Earth deposited the alien virus. Later, it came to the surface by the energy generated by the sun during certain periods of time, which occur every 11 years and cause viruses to come out of their hiding places.
4. Mad cow disease
Also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, it is one of the rare diseases that affects the beef industry. It can be transmitted to man through the ingestion of meat, causing serious health problems such as dementia and can even cause death.
The infectious agents responsible for this disease are called prions and they are quite rare. Researchers from India say that chemical structures very similar to those of prions have been found in the space dust of comets that have reached Earth. Apparently in space there are many bacteria and viruses that give life to these extraterrestrial diseases.
5. Ebola
It is one of the most horrible diseases that exist. Produces horrible bleeding leading to an agonizing death for the patient. In 2014 an outbreak broke out and the world went into a panic.
Ashley Dale of the University of Bristol in England, suggested that the virus could have reached the earth due to the collision of meteorites and managed to adapt to the conditions of the planet before finding the perfect hosts: humans. That is why it is considered one of the strangest alien diseases there is, as well as being extremely deadly.
This theory is debatable, but it is still hard to think that something so terrifying could come from Earth itself.
6. The Black Death
Many know the black plague, which It has the title of being the most devastating pandemic in the entire history of humanity. It affected what was Eurasia in the fourteenth century, and had its peak mortality between 1347 and 1353.
For sure, it has not been possible to determine the exact number of people who died from the Black Death. However, contemporary historians estimate between 80 to 200 million dead in Eurasia and North Africa alone. It caused the death of between 30% and 60% of the entire European population, so one third is an optimistic estimate.
Much is said about the origin of the plague, especially since by the time of the Middle Ages there were many contagious diseases. Several theories come from traditional Greek medicine, where the main culprits were miasms, which is an alteration of the air caused by the emission of noxious gases from decomposing organic matter, which were transmitted through breathing or contact with human skin.
Other speculations point to an extraterrestrial origin, and that is why it is also considered one of the strangest alien diseases. Even astrological causes are also attributed to it, such as the alignment of several planets, eclipses or the passage of comets through the Earth. It could also be caused by geological reasons, being the result of volcanic eruptions and seismic movements that caused the release of gases and fluids harmful to humans.
In a world where human beings are increasingly interested in exploring the confines of the universe, it is inevitable to think how exposed we are to a pandemic caused by alien diseases. There are many theories that suggest that the origin of many health conditions come from external agents that traveled in meteorites and other celestial bodies.
Faced with this approach, a new latent concern has arisen in society regarding the next movements of human beings in their attempt to colonize Mars.
The special mission that NASA prepares to take human beings to Mars it is pushing the space agency to take into account aspects of great importance. Among them, the measures they will take if an astronaut becomes ill during the return trip and it cannot be determined if the infection originated on the red planet. Experts believe that an extraterrestrial virus can become very dangerous, since it can cause a new pandemic on Earth.
To this end, NASA is developing measures to reduce the risk and likelihood of astronauts becoming ill during missions. Everything, in order to avoid running into some of the alien diseases that await a host in the vast universe.
What do you think of these conditions considered as extraterrestrial diseases? Their particular symptoms and mortality make them be considered out of this world, being the subject of scientific study for a long time. If you have another in mind, leave it in the comments!