Do you think a lone Extraterrestrial could survive on Earth, undetected by humans?

[SusanLR]

It would depend on it's level of existence.

If it were biologically and physically much like us, it would probably be difficult even then.
That's the problem I would see for any alien life form as most think of when they think Alien.
Humanoid form. Just different looking.
It's highly doubtful they would be from an existence that was like Earth's. Odds are against it.
So their being would not match with the planet. Air, temp, food, everything our bodies are
built for.

If they were interdimensional and not of the molecular structure that we think of as humanoid,
then yes. They would not need what we need to survive. That type of being is self contained.
Many believe Angels visit us. They don't need what our physical body needs.
They would be of a different energy. Something along that line.

As to why would they want to visit?
Same as us. Curiousity.
Why do we want to visit Mars? Same reason.

 

[AGXStarseed]

Insert Wrong Planet joke here.

I've actually heard people say Wells didn't know how to end War of the Worlds so he put in "plot-induced stupidity" with the disease.

I genuinely didn't know that. Also, I agree with you that the idea of the disease killing the invading Martians does seem pretty likely.

Funnily enough, H.G.Wells' second son Frank Wells later made the 1956 sci-fi movie Supersonic Saucer for the Children's Film Foundation - another story involving an alien arriving in Surrey, albeit this one been a youngster from Venus and a lot more friendly as he ends up unintentionally causing mischief before later helping a group of kids stop a gang of criminals.
I'd recommend you give it a watch if you get chance. Here's a clip of the film I managed to find: Supersonic Saucer - The Children Meet Meba

I personally think we are derived from an alien life form and evolved into what we are now. Or maybe we devolved...

That makes me think of the documentary The Last Day of the Dinosaurs, where the Narrator talks about the asteroid fragment that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Here's a clip I've uploaded to Sendvid: Last Day of the Dinosaurs - Inside the Asteroid

 

[Progster]

Reminds me of the ending of War of the Worlds,

Yes, this is exactly what I was thinking of. Also, the plight of the native peoples of South America when the conquistadors first entered and explored their lands - they were decimated by viruses and diseases that the conquistadors were carrying with them. They had no immunity. More recently, arial footage and excavations in the Amazon have revealed a civilisation with a large population living in those areas before the arrival of the conquistadors, which have now largely disappeared.

 

[Progster]

Funnily enough, H.G.Wells' son Frank Wells later made the 1956 sci-fi movie Supersonic Saucer for the Children's Film Foundation - another story involving an alien arriving in Surrey, albeit this one been a youngster from Venus and a lot more friendly as he ends up unintentionally causing mischief before later helping a group of kids stop a gang of criminals.

There's also the BBC series The Tripods, which had many similarities to H.G.Well's Martians. But they manage to protect themselves from the toxic Earth atmosphere by living in environment domes with their own atmosphere and gravity field. They brainwash the natives and recruit them as slaves to serve them. Based on book trilogy by John Christopher. This is actually one series of which I wish a remake could be made.

 

[AGXStarseed]

There's also the BBC series The Tripods, which had many similarities to H.G.Well's Martians. But they manage to protect themselves from the toxic Earth atmosphere by living in environment domes with their own atmosphere and gravity field. They brainwash the natives and recruit them as slaves to serve them. Based on book trilogy by John Christopher. This is actually one series of which I wish a remake could be made.

Considering the last time the BBC adapted The War of the Worlds (where they claimed it would be faithful to the book and then it wasn't), it might be best to hold off on a remake of The Tripods for now.
As for sequels to The War of the Worlds, one of them involves the Martians making a piece of technology dubbed a 'Scrubber' to keep a certain area clear of infection while in War of the Worlds: Goliath, it was simply stated that by 1914 (the original invasion happening in 1899), the Martians had simply developed an immunity.

Funnily enough in the DC 'Elseworlds' comic Superman: War of the Worlds (which crosses over H.G.Wells' story with the 'Golden Age' Superman mythos from the 1930s), Superman is captured after trying to fight the Martians due to a combination of the Black Smoke and their Heat Rays.
However, its revealed that the Martians operating on Superman don't get infected like the rest of their species because - as Lex Luthor (who has allied with the Martians to ensure his survival) points out after he finally gets a blood sample - Clark Kent's Kryptonian biology naturally 'cancels out' the effects of Earth's bacteria.

Going back to the topic at hand, do you think there could be alien biology that would naturally neutralize threats like bacteria and viruses, or do you think that's purely science fiction with little to no science fact?

 

[Crossbreed]

Going back to the topic at hand, do you think there could be alien biology that would naturally neutralize threats like bacteria and viruses, or do you think that's purely science fiction with little to no science fact?

Even if they weren't susceptible to human diseases, they could still be vulnerable to zoological or botanical diseases.

 

[Progster]

Going back to the topic at hand, do you think there could be alien biology that would naturally neutralize threats like bacteria and viruses, or do you think that's purely science fiction with little to no science fact?

It's possible. But also, if they have such advanced technology that they can overcome the problem of having to travel across vast distances in space, then presumably their medical technology is also extremely advanced. Perhaps they have onboard medical labs that can take samples, analyse them and produce vaccines in a matter of hours as opposed to the months it took us to produce a vaccine for Covid-19.

I think that if alien life does come to Earth, it will be some form of microbial life, which can lie dormant for years, can travel through space, tolerate high radiation and which reproduces fast so it can quickly adapt to any environment it finds itself in. Or maybe something like a tardigrade at best.

Great topic!

 

[Crossbreed]

But also,
if they have such advanced technology that they can overcome the problem of having to travel across vast distances in space,
then presumably their medical technology is also extremely advanced.

Seinfeld - Landing the Man on the Moon

 

[Neonatal RRT]

After recently posting an article regarding a woman who claims to have been abducted over 50 times, I started thinking about the various books, movies and TV shows where aliens come/are sent to Earth for various reasons - both evil and benign.

I also started thinking a lot about the biodiversity of life in general (especially when you consider the myriad of forms that animals have evolved into) and how some species can actively thrive in environments they are accidentally introduced to even if it doesn't immediately seem like they would; examples from the UK including the Grey Squirrel, the Ring-Necked Parakeet, the Mink and the Red-Necked Wallaby - all non-native species that have managed to gain a suitable foothold in the country, for better or worse.

All this got me wondering, though.
If a single alien life form ever ended up here on Earth - whether by accident like E.T from E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial or deliberately like Meba from Supersonic Saucer - do you think it would be able to survive on Earth and remain undetected by humanity?

The short answer to your question above, "Do you think an extraterrestrial being could live amongst us undetected?" No. Why not? Because literally every one of us on this site have been detected, in one way, or another, as someone a bit "off" the norm,...and we are all human beings as far as I know. The better question might be (conspiracy theory alert): Have ancient alien visitors bred with early humans to produce a race of hybrids that were designed as a social experiment to push the advancement of civilization and technology,...and we call them "autistics" in todays language? This theory might explain a few things.

 

[AGXStarseed]

It's possible. But also, if they have such advanced technology that they can overcome the problem of having to travel across vast distances in space, then presumably their medical technology is also extremely advanced. Perhaps they have onboard medical labs that can take samples, analyse them and produce vaccines in a matter of hours as opposed to the months it took us to produce a vaccine for Covid-19.

I think that if alien life does come to Earth, it will be some form of microbial life, which can lie dormant for years, can travel through space, tolerate high radiation and which reproduces fast so it can quickly adapt to any environment it finds itself in. Or maybe something like a tardigrade at best.

Great topic!

You mentioning the Tardigrade makes me think of a story I posted here a while back: Tardigrades on the moon?

Also, agreed on the medical technology. Heck, imagine if the alien in question coming to live on Earth and wanting to live undetected was a former soldier - fighting across multiple worlds and against different species; it would make sense that there would be some technology at use to reduce/avert the risk of getting ill from local diseases and passing on their own (maybe through a mix of nanites/organites in the bloodstream)?

You're welcome for the topic idea; my brain occasionally throws out something interesting to talk about.

The short answer to your question above, "Do you think an extraterrestrial being could live amongst us undetected?" No. Why not? Because literally every one of us on this site have been detected, in one way, or another, as someone a bit "off" the norm,...and we are all human beings as far as I know. The better question might be (conspiracy theory alert): Have ancient alien visitors bred with early humans to produce a race of hybrids that were designed as a social experiment to push the advancement of civilization and technology,...and we call them "autistics" in todays language? This theory might explain a few things.

Interesting ideas.
That said, what if the alien in question lives "off the grid" rather than in a human village/town/city?
If they've still got their ship (and the power source within is renewable), they could potentially live anywhere. Also, considering there are some places with fewer humans around - such as the Scottish islands of Eigg and Rum - it could prove useful for an alien who just wants to live out their days on our world in peace (or live here until its time to move on/go home).

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Interesting ideas.
That said, what if the alien in question lives "off the grid" rather than in a human village/town/city?
If they've still got their ship (and the power source within is renewable), they could potentially live anywhere. Also, considering there are some places with fewer humans around - such as the Scottish islands of Eigg and Rum - it could prove useful for an alien who just wants to live out their days on our world in peace (or live here until its time to move on/go home).

Again,...not likely. Satellite imagery, everyone has camera phone, etc. Besides, have you met rural people? Nothing is getting past them. Their neighbors might be kilometers away,...but they still know them by first name, have talked to them at length, etc. It is quite difficult to be a "hermit". I don't think for a second an alien could live "hidden" in a rural area, even away from people. Keep in mind, in order to get basic living necessities like food, water, and other resources, they're going to have to leave their dwelling. This is why it also makes it unlikely to have underwater and polar alien bases of operation,...they have to leave sometime just to obtain basic living necessities. Oh,...but what about cloaking devices? What if they can't be seen? Ok, now you're really pushing it, but again, surveillance cameras, especially military, are picking up thermal and other non-visible spectrums now-a-days,...and again, if they are needing supplies,...stuff ends up missing and someone's going to notice.

I think 100, 200 years ago and earlier,...hypothetically, an extraterrestrial might be able to spend some time on Earth avoiding people,...but interacting without being seen as something different,...not a chance.

Now, were there ancient aliens that lived amongst us? There is a fair amount of what appears to be interesting archaeological "evidence", and religious text from ancient cultures all over the world. A part of me would love this to be true, simply from a historical perspective. It is exciting to think about, but time has done its work, and has left us with a lot of speculation and questions. I have seen some of the ancient stone work from many cultures, and when someone states, "We don't have the technology today to do this."...therefore it is alien,...again, I have to think this through logically. So, a space-fairing society,...likely masters of metallurgy, time distortion, quantum physics, folding space,...and the best they can do is cut rocks in a way that we can't figure out? Why rock? Why not corrosion-resistant metal alloys? Why can't it be that over the many years of working with rock, some humans figured out ways to cut rock? Probably that weird autistic kid sitting by himself in the corner,...he did it.

What about the ancient "Gods" of Sumeria, Egypt, and India? They were a race of giants that travelled in rockets and aircraft. Again, exciting to fantasize about, but it could be they simply needed to have their Gods be extraordinary, beyond the mortal human population, mysterious and all powerful. Like I said, time has done its work and we may never know.

 

[AGXStarseed]

Again,...not likely. Satellite imagery, everyone has camera phone, etc. Besides, have you met rural people? Nothing is getting past them. Their neighbors might be kilometers away,...but they still know them by first name, have talked to them at length, etc. It is quite difficult to be a "hermit". I don't think for a second an alien could live "hidden" in a rural area, even away from people. Keep in mind, in order to get basic living necessities like food, water, and other resources, they're going to have to leave their dwelling. This is why it also makes it unlikely to have underwater and polar alien bases of operation,...they have to leave sometime just to obtain basic living necessities. Oh,...but what about cloaking devices? What if they can't be seen? Ok, now you're really pushing it, but again, surveillance cameras, especially military, are picking up thermal and other non-visible spectrums now-a-days,...and again, if they are needing supplies,...stuff ends up missing and someone's going to notice.

I think 100, 200 years ago and earlier,...hypothetically, an extraterrestrial might be able to spend some time on Earth avoiding people,...but interacting without being seen as something different,...not a chance.

Now, were there ancient aliens that lived amongst us? There is a fair amount of what appears to be interesting archaeological "evidence", and religious text from ancient cultures all over the world. A part of me would love this to be true, simply from a historical perspective. It is exciting to think about, but time has done its work, and has left us with a lot of speculation and questions. I have seen some of the ancient stone work from many cultures, and when someone states, "We don't have the technology today to do this."...therefore it is alien,...again, I have to think this through logically. So, a space-fairing society,...likely masters of metallurgy, time distortion, quantum physics, folding space,...and the best they can do is cut rocks in a way that we can't figure out? Why rock? Why not corrosion-resistant metal alloys? Why can't it be that over the many years of working with rock, some humans figured out ways to cut rock? Probably that weird autistic kid sitting by himself in the corner,...he did it.

What about the ancient "Gods" of Sumeria, Egypt, and India? They were a race of giants that travelled in rockets and aircraft. Again, exciting to fantasize about, but it could be they simply needed to have their Gods be extraordinary, beyond the mortal human population, mysterious and all powerful. Like I said, time has done its work and we may never know.

What about cryptids, then?
Whether its the famous ones like Bigfoot, Nessie or Mothman up to others like the Burrunjor (a surviving member of the Tyrannosaur family supposedly wandering around Australia) and the Teratorn (a giant bird supposedly surviving near areas such as Texas), one thing is clear - hypothetically, if these animals are indeed real, they've managed to avoid humanity and our technological wonders from actively proving their existence as conclusive.

Something interesting to note regarding the Burrunjor as well:
"One area this monster is claimed to inhabit is Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. With an area of about 97,000 km² and a population of 16,230 it isn't exactly dense; especially when considering London, with an area of 1,706.8 km2 and a population of about 14 million.
With lots of forest scrub and bush to conceal it as well as cattle and crocodiles to feed on the Burrunjor could definitely exist in a sparse and low population. The scary thing is this critter also occupies northern Queensland. In both places there is an area of land where the Burrunjor is said to roam and where no animals or Aborigines will willingly go, these lands, like their illusive owners are called Burrunjor.
Now Aborigines, you could say are acting on superstitious beliefs, but animals reacting with fear in these places is most unusual."

For the record, the Kangaroo, the Platypus and the Coelacanth were all on the list of cryptids before they were proven to be real and alive, so I wouldn't think it impossible for some of the other cryptids - or indeed the alien in question - to be able to effectively hide without been discovered for a long time (especially as with the alien, you've only got the single individual on Earth in this scenario - not a species).

 

[Tom]

Probably. Unless they try and smuggle in anal probes. I think these days customs would catch that.

 

[AGXStarseed]

Probably. Unless they try and smuggle in anal probes. I think these days customs would catch that.

Reminds me of a conversation from the film Paul, when Graham first meets Paul:


Graham: "Are you an alien?"

Paul: "To you I am, yes".

Graham: "Are you gonna probe us?"

Paul: *Annoyed* "Why does everyone always assume that?! What am I doing? Am I harvesting farts? How much can I learn from a [butt]?!"

Graham: "Well I- What?"

 

[Neonatal RRT]

What about cryptids, then?
Whether its the famous ones like Bigfoot, Nessie or Mothman up to others like the Burrunjor (a surviving member of the Tyrannosaur family supposedly wandering around Australia) and the Teratorn (a giant bird supposedly surviving near areas such as Texas), one thing is clear - hypothetically, if these animals are indeed real, they've managed to avoid humanity and our technological wonders from actively proving their existence as conclusive.

Something interesting to note regarding the Burrunjor as well:
"One area this monster is claimed to inhabit is Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. With an area of about 97,000 km² and a population of 16,230 it isn't exactly dense; especially when considering London, with an area of 1,706.8 km2 and a population of about 14 million.
With lots of forest scrub and bush to conceal it as well as cattle and crocodiles to feed on the Burrunjor could definitely exist in a sparse and low population. The scary thing is this critter also occupies northern Queensland. In both places there is an area of land where the Burrunjor is said to roam and where no animals or Aborigines will willingly go, these lands, like their illusive owners are called Burrunjor.
Now Aborigines, you could say are acting on superstitious beliefs, but animals reacting with fear in these places is most unusual."

For the record, the Kangaroo, the Platypus and the Coelacanth were all on the list of cryptids before they were proven to be real and alive, so I wouldn't think it impossible for some of the other cryptids - or indeed the alien in question - to be able to effectively hide without been discovered for a long time (especially as with the alien, you've only got the single individual on Earth in this scenario - not a species).

For any species to survive through the ages, there has to be a significant breeding population,...otherwise inbreeding occurs,...and that pretty much ends the species. The Loch Ness monster and other lake "monsters", Bigfoot, Yeti,...again, there has to be a breeding population. Furthermore, they need to wander, feed, drink, leave scat, etc.,...and quite a few of these so-called cryptids are in areas where food is scarce,...certainly not enough to support a large animal, let alone a breeding population, for any length of time. Like I said earlier, we are at the point in our technology and surveillance prowess to pretty much find anything,...if there is anything to find. Overall, I would say a very low probability. As far as the Coelacanth,...recent tissue studies have found that although it appears similar to the fossil record,...this is actually a different fish. I would be open to the idea that the deep oceans have many creatures yet to be discovered.

 

[ForestGumpett]

They taste like chicken!

I’m from the south, we’ll shoot and eat anything!

(Fried with gravy of course)

 

[AGXStarseed]

For any species to survive through the ages, there has to be a significant breeding population,...otherwise inbreeding occurs,...and that pretty much ends the species. The Loch Ness monster and other lake "monsters", Bigfoot, Yeti,...again, there has to be a breeding population. Furthermore, they need to wander, feed, drink, leave scat, etc.,...and quite a few of these so-called cryptids are in areas where food is scarce,...certainly not enough to support a large animal, let alone a breeding population, for any length of time. Like I said earlier, we are at the point in our technology and surveillance prowess to pretty much find anything,...if there is anything to find. Overall, I would say a very low probability. As far as the Coelacanth,...recent tissue studies have found that although it appears similar to the fossil record,...this is actually a different fish. I would be open to the idea that the deep oceans have many creatures yet to be discovered.

So if our hypothetical "Lone/Loner Alien" was comfortable been underwater and going into deep water for long periods of time/indefinitely - either through natural evolution or artificial aid - the chance of it been discovered would substantially decrease?

 

[AGXStarseed]

They taste like chicken!

I’m from the south, we’ll shoot and eat anything!

(Fried with gravy of course)

That just makes me think of the Saiyans from Dragon Ball. Goku was pretty much eating any animal he could catch - be it fish, lizards, snakes, wolves, insects, etc. - while Vegeta and Nappa were shown eating some aliens they killed in battle.

 

[AGXStarseed]

Looking back at this, part of me is just imagining a scenario where an alien walks into a pub somewhere, with the people inside just staring, taking some photos on their phones and then getting back to whatever they're doing - just taking the odd glance every now and then.
You'd probably get the few who are scared but I think most would be like "Huh? Didn't expect to see that today...oh well, time to check my social media" *Gets out mobile phone*.

 

[Crossbreed]

Looking back at this, part of me is just imagining a scenario where an alien walks into a pub somewhere, with the people inside just staring, taking some photos on their phones and then getting back to whatever they're doing - just taking the odd glance every now and then.
You'd probably get the few who are scared but I think most would be like "Huh? Didn't expect to see that today...oh well, time to check my social media".

If that were true, they would be more accepting of autistics...