Take Me to Your Virus!

Professor Paul Davis (Director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University) points out that there may well be extra-terrestrial viruses or their equivalents (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/06/viruses-may-exist-elsewhere-in-the-universe-warns-scientist). Humans might dream of escaping to other planets without Covid19. They have certainly imagined being contacted by life-forms from other worlds. Davis sensibly points out that, if life has developed on other planets, bacteria and viruses (or their equivalents) would have evolved first. In the case of our Earth, bacteria and viruses have been present at least 5 times longer than any other life-forms. To a very large degree, their actions terraformed our planet, making it (currently?) habitable for more complex organisms. Davis also notes that genetic information of some bacteria and viruses has been incorporated into other organisms, including humans. This process is known as horizontal gene transfer. We are consequently unlikely to ever escape viruses. We are also going to have to be cautious if we meet any aliens. They might well be bringing smaller life-forms along with them.