Could alien blood be toxic to us?
Channel: Risk Bites
Date: 29/10/2013

Could alien blood be toxic to us? It may seem like a funny question, but it leads to some interesting scientific places!

Not surprisingly, the chances that exo-toxicology (the toxicology of extraterrestrial life forms) becomes a critical issue in our lifetimes is small.  But with rapid developments in fields like synthetic biology, it may not be long before we have to ask serious questions about the risks and the potential harm associated with home grown "alien" life forms. 
As usual, don't forget to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.

RESOURCES
Astrobiology
https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/about-astrobiology/
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/ast.2008.0819

Xenobiology
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bies.200900147

Hypothetical biochemistry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothetical_types_of_biochemistry
http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/153110704323175124

Synthetic Biology
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_biology
Adventures in Synthetic Biology (comic): http://www.nature.com/nature/comics/syntheticbiologycomic/
Synthetic Biology Project: http://www.synbioproject.org/
DIY Bio: http://diybio.org/
Regenesis (George Church): http://www.regenesisthebook.com/
iGEM competition: http://igem.org/Main_Page

Life on other planets
http://www.pbs.org/lifebeyondearth/listening/drake.html
http://exoplanets.org/

Anaerobic respiration
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_respiration

Sulphur-based respiration
http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1145861

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