Labs (Laboratories) in UT & HT vs. Labs in Spaceships. What gives?

[Lamech]

Originally Posted by Icelander

I don't find it particularly shocking that laboratories where you can safely examine alien microbes demand a level of care in construction and engineering that is far beyond the standard required for hangars or engine rooms.

Other rooms just don't require the same safety protocols, with multiple layers of airlocks and suchlike.

Lets pretend for a second these microbes are somewhat similar to earth life. In fact, lets assume they are so similar the only difference is they are a mirror image of earth life. They have mirror image humans, Ebola, cows. Everything.

We cannot eat their food, we cannot get their illnesses, we cannot interbreed. Our DNA and RNA will not bind to theirs. We could probably eat Ebola from their world and be fine.

Now these are not alien microbes, these are nearly identical microbes. Our biggest concern with alien life would be us contaminating it.