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1 results

  • Bioterrorism and the Fermi Paradox

  • Joshua Cooper
  • Journal:
    International Journal of Astrobiology / Volume 12 / Issue 2 / April 2013
    Published online by Cambridge University Press:
    16 January 2013, pp. 144-148

  • We proffer a contemporary solution to the so-called Fermi Paradox, which is concerned with conflict between Copernicanism and the apparent paucity of evidence for intelligent alien civilizations. In particular, we argue that every community of organisms that reaches its space-faring age will (1) almost immediately use its rocket-building computers to reverse-engineer its genetic chemistry and (2) self-destruct when some individual uses said technology to design an omnicidal pathogen. We discuss some of the possible approaches to prevention with regard to Homo sapiens’ vulnerability to bioterrorism, particularly on a short-term basis.