Researchers urge for 'invasion science' to detect alien viruses, ensure global biosecurity

Questions, as well as concerns about epidemiological security, have arisen as a result of the pandemic breakout, with several experts believing that viruses have an alien origin. The monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal, BioScience, stated on Wednesday that the constant advancement of space exploration may represent a threat of infestation of extraterrestrial mycobacteria and viruses.

Researchers have observed that polioviruses as well as bacteriophages can survive in vacuum and cosmic ionising radiation. Hence, the possibility of extraterrestrial contamination and infection is not uncommon. Indicating the epidemiological security, Anthony Ricciardi from McGill University said, "Owing to their massive costs to resource sectors and human health, biological invasions are a global biosecurity issue requiring rigorous transboundary solutions," as per Sputnik.

Researchers highlight the need for invasion science to detect alien viruses

As per the researchers, 'invasion science', which investigates such dangers of infestation from space and evaluates its repercussions, should be developed by the world community. They further highlighted the fact that policies and procedures for timely identification, danger assessment, fast response, as well as containment techniques have to be built for invasive species on Earth to cope with hypothetical alien toxins.

A lot of concepts that function on Earth have already been embraced by invasion science, particularly the notion that distant and isolated regions like islands and lakes are more vulnerable to infestation.

As per Sputnik, experts, in spite of this, discussed the difficulties of prognosis in this sector as well as the crucial relevance of early identification in microbial threat management. Further, Ricciardi and his co-workers - Phill Cassey, Stefan Leuko and Andrew P Woolnough, have stated that if movable real-time DNA sequencing technology is combined with databases of known organismal toxins, it might speed up the process of understanding the solutions to the queries.  

In addition to this, researchers claimed, "Greater collaboration between invasion biologists and astrobiologists would enhance existing international protocols for planetary biosecurity - both for Earth and for extraterrestrial bodies that could contain life," Sputnik reported.

Furthermore, viruses may even occur on exoplanets or any other planets in our solar system, according to a research released previously in science journal Astrobiology. Astrobiologists from the United States and Japan speculated that Virions, which are basically viral particles, made up of nucleic acid and proteins, might readily be released from atmospheres and bind themselves to other celestial bodies. For example, these particles might have come to Earth by attaching themselves to meteorites.

Meanwhile, as there are no universal indicators for viruses on other celestial objects, there are currently no scientific instruments capable of identifying them. For this reason, scientists recommend utilising transmission electron microscopes (TEM), which can detect the existence of virions and their distinct morphological traits. 

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