Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site topaz.RUTGERS.EDU Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!columbia!topaz!#d22%ddathd21.BITNET From: #d22%ddathd21.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Re: Andromeda Strain Question (Issue 325) Message-ID: <3351@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> Date: Mon, 19-Aug-85 19:43:04 EDT Article-I.D.: topaz.3351 Posted: Mon Aug 19 19:43:04 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 24-Aug-85 15:38:08 EDT Sender: daemon@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 23 From: <#d22%ddathd21.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA> (Ralf Bayer) >From: proper!judith@topaz.arpa (Judith Abrahms) >I haven't seen _The_Andromeda_Strain_ in a few years, but I began to >wonder about this recently. As the scientists who are to >investigate the bug are taken deeper and deeper into the lab >complex, they are progressively cleaned, shaven, disinfected, weaned >from real food, etc. etc. etc., so they will be REALLY clean when >they get to the lowest level. >They never interact with anything important except through waldos >and other interfaces built to eliminate contact, so what's the >difference? As far as I remember (from reading the book) it was to prevent possible interaction between Earth's bacteria and the "Thing from outside", should the scientists accidentially get in contact with the virus from space. They were always afraid that something even worse than the strange virus could develop. Ralf (#d22%ddathd21.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA) (Beware of the number sign (#) - it's part of my User-ID)