So many aliens, so little time

A new Facebook app has launched, asking members to Save an Alien.

The mythology behind the app is as follows: A meteor is approaching an alien planet in six months and will kill its population of 10 million unless citizens are "adopted" by Facebookers.

Each alien is algorithmically unique. Once an alien is adopted, aliens are to safety in Antarctica.

You can then download pics of it, add its image to pictures of you, and buy merchandise with your adoptee on it.

The question underlying the Israeli start-up is whether the sense of altruism people feel for displaced children or animals will extend itself to fictional characters. According to TechCrunch, 14,000 aliens have been saved thus far.