Could alien blood be toxic to us?

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 THIS WEEK'S RISK BITES TEAM: Producer: Andrew Maynard Research Director: David Faulkner RISK BITES IS SUPPORTED BY: University of Michigan School of Public Health. http://www.sph.umich.edu/ University of Michigan Risk Science Center. http://umriskcenter.org Risk Bites is your guide to making sense of risk. We cover everything from understanding and balancing the risks and benefits of everyday products, to health science more broadly, to the potential impacts of emerging technologies, to making sense of risk perception. If you enjoy our videos, please subscribe, and spread the word! Click here to see more videos: https://alugha.com/RiskBites

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