Microbe Hunters

The Andromeda Strain is a 1971 American science-fiction thriller film directed and produced by Robert Wise, adapted by Nelson Gidding from Michael Crichton's 1969 novel. It stars Arthur Hill, James Olson, Kate Reid, and David Wayne as a team of scientists who investigate a deadly organism of extraterrestrial origin. The film closely follows the original book's plot, with only a few changes. The special effects were designed by Douglas Trumbull, and are notable for their use of advanced computerized photography. Real laboratory scenes using a spectrograph were shot at Caltech. Composer Gil Mellé recorded actual laboratory sounds for the film at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for authenticity while doing research for the film score. The film was released by Universal Pictures on March 12, 1971. It received mixed-to-positive reviews, and was a moderate commercial success. At the 44th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Film Editing and Best Art Direction. Mellé's score was nominated for a Golden Globe. Microbiologist Abigail A. Salyers noted that The Andromeda Strain raised real concerns with the larger public about the risks of interplanetary contamination. Environmental scientist Michael Paul Meltzer referred to the larger story as a "touchstone for planetary protection specialists in discussing matters of back contamination and the dangers that they present".