This article is about the book. For the 1971 film, see The Andromeda Strain.

The Andromeda Strain is a science-fiction novel by author Michael Crichton about a team of scientists who investigate a deadly disease of extraterrestrial origin which causes rapid, fatal clotting of the blood.

Synopsis

After a US government satellite crashes near the village of Piedmont in Arizona (New Mexico in the movie), a mysterious disease kills all but two of the town’s inhabitants. An elite scientific team takes the satellite into a secret underground laboratory in Nevada, known as the “Wildfire Complex,” in order to study it. After extensive study determines that the causative agent is a bacterium of extraterrestrial origin and that it is vulnerable to changes in acidity and alkalinity, the pathogen mutates into a form that degrades rubber gaskets, compromising the integrity of its containment. This engages an automatic mechanism designed to set off a nuclear weapon beneath the complex, eradicating all traces of the disease before it can reach the surface. However, given its ability to generate matter directly from energy, the alien disease would likely be able to thrive on the enormous energy released by a nuclear explosion and could then mutate into an untold numbers of forms. In an attempt to prevent the explosion, one scientist races to shut down the bomb before it can detonate.

The alien bacterium turns out to be crystal-based, and although it contains the same atoms as terrestrial life, it lacks DNA/RNA, proteins and amino acids. It is able to transfer energy to mass directly.

Crystal-based life forms have also appeared in The Next Generation, and the theory has also been seriously considered by A-life scientists.

Odd Man Hypothesis

The “Robertson Odd Man Hypothesis” is a fictional hypothesis articulated in the book and also mentioned by name in the film. In the book the explanation is presented as a page from a report, a method repeated in the film:

“Results of special testing confirm the Odd Man Hypothesis, that an unmarried male should carry out command decisions involving thermonuclear or chem-biol destruct contexts.”

The Odd Man Hypothesis states that unmarried men are capable of carrying out the best, most dispassionate decisions in crisis situations. A page of statistics is then shown, titled “Group: Index of Effectiveness,” ranging from .343 for married males to .946 for single male scientists. Then listing the same for each of the main characters (Stone .687, Burton .543, Kirke .614, Leavitt .601, Hall .899). Thus, Hall is given the one and only control key to halt, if necessary, the automated self-destruct system built into the Wildfire base. Leavitt also admits that the Odd Man Hypothesis is essentially the only reason for Hall’s assignment to the Wildfire team, in lieu of Hall’s knowledge of electrolytes.

In reality, it is highly unlikely that this kind of protocol would be implemented since, depending on variance within the groups examined, the statistical mean measured for the group is in no way conclusive in regard to how a certain individual would perform. For example: Marion Jones runs faster than most males, even though the average male runs faster than the average woman.

Rather than having the protocol leave a critical decision to a single individual it would more likely be consensus driven, like the two-man rule.

The fabrication of a scientific principle with supportive numbers and charts belongs to a literary technique called false document.

Quotes from the book

• “…biology, the retarded child… Even in the time of Newton and Galileo, men knew more about the moon and other heavenly bodies that they did about their own.”

• “…first contact with extraterrestrial life will be determined by the known probablities of speciation… complex organisms are rare on earth… simple organisms flourish in abundance… there are millions of bacteria, thousands of insects but few primates… frequency of speciation goes a corresponding frequency in numbers… human interaction with extra terrestrial will… ^* identical to bacteria or viruses.”

• “…it was equally possible for extra terrestrial to contaminate the earth via space probes.”

• “Good God.”

Adaptations

The book was the basis for a 1971 film of the same name, directed by Robert Wise and starring Arthur Hill, James Olson, Kate Reid, and David Wayne.

In September 2004, the Sci Fi Channel announced it would begin production of a miniseries, executive produced by Ridley and Tony Scott and Frank Darabont. As of January 2006, no further details are available. the spectacular crash of NASA's Genesis probe had an influence in non-pursuance of the project.

The science fiction-themed Death Metal band Nocturnus have a song inspired by the novel, called Andromeda Strain, on their debut album The Key.

Main characters

1. Dr. Jeremy Stone: professor of bacteriology at U. C.-Berkeley; a Nobel Prize winner
2. Charles Burton: professor of pathology at Baylor University
3. Peter Leavitt: clinical microbiologist; suffers from epilepsy
4. Dr. Mark Hall: medical doctor and surgeon

References

• Crichton, Michael (1968). The Andromeda Strain. ISBN 0345378482.

1968 novels | Books by Michael Crichton | Fictional extraterrestrial species | Science fiction novels | Techno-thriller novels

Andromeda (Roman)