Not of This Earth: Difference between revisions
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An object of indeterminate origin has been found. It is sent to a lab for analysis, but the lab cannot identify the material it's made of. Similarly, when the heroes ask the lab to identify the mysterious glowing substance found at the crime scene, the reply may come back: organic-based, but unknown. Sometimes the scientists go so far as to say conclusively that whatever it is, it [[Imported Alien Phlebotinum|cannot be found on Earth]].
Such substances are something of a [[MacGuffin]]. Often they do not possess any special properties or behaviors, although at times they are found to be [[Unobtainium]]. The purpose of declaring a substance to be
To handle this trope plausibly, the substance should be made of known elements but perhaps in isotope ratios not typical of Earth or the Solar System, or else it should be a manufactured substance using techniques beyond Earthly science.
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* Not quite ''aliens'', but the trope comes up in ''[[Death Note]]''. The police get their hands on a Death Note after the Yotsuba arc, and their lab reports state that the paper matches no known earthly substance.
* ''[[Darker than Black]]'' has a lot of this. Besides the [[Alien Sky]] and [[Differently-Powered Individual|Differently Powered Individuals]] that suddenly appeared with the Gates, some really weird crap comes out of said Gates. Like stone flowers that grow and can be used to make a drug, a [[Mineral MacGuffin|crystal]] that [[Amplifier Artifact|makes Contractors more powerful]], or technology that lets the user [[Laser-Guided Amnesia|alter]] [[Fake Memories|memories]]. Even the scientists studying them occasionally have to just give up and say that [[Reality Is Out to Lunch]].
* ''[[Witchblade (anime)|Witchblade]]'' is a strange case. In the original, [[Witchblade (Comic Book)|Witchblade]] was presented as a reproducing creature (it has parents). [[Shapeshifting]], tank-ripping symbionts have few in common with Terran life. So the creators of the adaptation surrounded it with some alien flora in [[Dream Within a Dream]] episode
== [[Film]] ==
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== [[Literature]] ==
* One of the earliest examples is ''[[The Colour Out of Space]]'' by [[H.P. Lovecraft|H.P Lovecraft]]
** An idol depicting the eponymous [[Eldritch Abomination]] appears in ''Call of Cthulhu''; it's made out of stone that scientists are unable to identify. The matter from which it was made was brought to Earth by the Great Old Ones.
* in ''Sphere'', a sample of the hull of a supposed alien ship is analyzed and found to be made of common elements, but they've been worked into a composite form that nobody yet knows how to duplicate.
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