BY LETTER
Provolution Timeline
The history of efforts to raise non-human species to full sentience and sophonce |
 Image from Steve Bowers |
The Solsys Era The Information Age
All dates are in AT (after tranquility) according to the tranquility calendar.
60's AT - Genetic therapy for humans becomes increasingly acceptable.
65 - Computer power equivalent to human brain is available at consumer level prices, but suitable software lags behind. True sentient Artificially Intelligent entities do not yet exist.
67 - Widespread non-sentient robot development.
70 - AI science achieves semi-sentient algorithms. Whilst not yet sophont or capable of human equivalent general intelligence these programs were capable of impressive feats in specific fields.
90 - First human equivalent artificial intelligence (AI) developed on distributed supercomputer clusters. For a while classification as human equivalent was doubtful as the AI were quite toposophically different to baselines, this hindered effective communication.
90's - Cyborg augmentations developed that allow domestic animals to understand aspects of basic human speech.
102 - After twelve years of exhaustive experimentation with AI and human intelligence augmentation the first AI with superior intelligence in all areas is created and quickly dubs itself a 'superturing'.
104 - First artificial wombs created.
112 - Burning Library Project complete.
114 - Human intelligence augmentation shareware becomes available, principally memory and concentration boosters.
The Interplanetary Age
144 AT - First convincing dinosaur 'reverse engineered' (lazurogened) by modifying chicken DNA. It is the size of a turkey and does not resemble any known species. The so-called 'chickenosaurus', was achieved in 144 AT.
160 - Superbright human tweaks born in increasing numbers; these do not represent a new species, however, since they are very diverse and do not yet breed true.
175 - First truly different human clade revealed (The Merpeople).
185 - First human equivalent autonomous moravec robots (vecs); before this date independently mobile robots were limited to sub-human intelligence by law. Limits to processor capability result in these early vecs being of considerable size, comparable to terrestrial megafauna.
212 - First partially provolved animal species revealed (sapient bonobo). Over several generations of bonobo intelligence is raised to human adult level, along with language capabilities. The project is very controversial, not least due to the many bonobos inflicted with mental disabilities in the course of developing the techniques.
220 - First Calebs Talking dogs (not yet fully sophont).
c. 250 AT - Beginning of dolphin provolution efforts.
280's-310's AT - Provolution programs for several species are started, including programs for several mammals, birds, and some hybrid species.
280 - First siberoo (kangaroo/tiger splice) provolves; initially they are borderline sapient.
295 - Corvid provolution program begins.
300-400 AT - Spread of early pan-sophontist beliefs; sapientbonobos and sapientchimps generally come to be recognized as sophont.
c. 300 - African Gray Parrots provolved (first successful avian provolves).
c. 300 - Calebs, provolved neo-dogs, raised to full sophonce.
330 - Neogen/splice Siberoo species employed at snowy tourist resorts as rescue animals.
340 - Huginn and Muninn (corvid) provolution program successful.
c. 350 AT - Asian elephants are provolved; the resulting species are known as Sufants (short for Superphants).
c. 350 AT - Neo-pigs provolution program successful.
366 - First Neo-dolphins (Tursiops sapiens) unveiled by GeneTEK & CTC.
384 - A group of merpeople petition the UN suggesting that the oceans should no longer be regarded as the property of the world community, but rather as the nation of the merpeople. This is unsuccessful, and prejudice against tweak humans and other genetically modified sophonts increases among unmodified, baseline humans.
400 - Fully provolved Siberoo individuals occupy executive positions in certain polar research facilitiies.
400-500 AT - Some small independent colonies of sapientchimps and sapientbonobos established in Solsys away from Old Earth.
410 - Rat provolves developed at the Rat Barrel. Among these clade Raffin will be numerous and robust enough to survive the Technocalypse.
Solsys Golden Age
c. 500 AT - Modified starfish are developed as non-sapient underwater workers; these will eventually be developed into the Streya clade.
c. 500 - First work towards provolution of ray-finned fishes (Acties); fully sapient acties will not emerge until Federation times.
c. 510 - First serious splits within the pan-sophontist movement over how much freedom and independence provolve clades need to have.
526 - Ferret provolves (Putorians) created; they become extinct during the Technocalypse.
The Age of the Technocalypse
c. 570 AT - Dolphin provolves survive only on Old Earth, Okeanos Habitat, and surviving Genetekker orbitals. Old Earth dolphins are cut off from other Terragens, and Genetekker dolphins merge their lines with other Genen, but Okeanos Habitat's Neo-dolphins will go on to found many clades.
580 - Best Friend of Man League established for the protection of baseline and provolved canines in the current crisis.
c. 830 - GAIA, Children of GAIA, and factions in the Okeanos Habitat begin collaboration on several whale provolution projects that will result in the Gaian Whales over the next millennium.
The Interstellar Era
The Early Federation Age
During The First Federation era humans and AIs begin to treat provolves as equals in many systems; the first provolve colonies such as Hwii, Rufus and Bolobo are established during this period.
973 AT - Clade Shepbra provolves created based on gecko splices; they are among the first fully viable lizard provolves.
1001 AT - Institute for Primate Provolution founded.
Middle Federation/ Megacorps Age
1245 AT - Modified starfish successfully provolved (Streyas).
1309 - First complete Human Upgrade Package released from IPP's Kasekala Habitat.
1350 - Bonobo and Chimp Upgrade Packages released from IPP's Goodall Habitat; Eja template becomes popular with bonobo provolves and results in a distinct clade.
1430 - Bitenic Squid provolves created on Europa.
1432 - Hwiii, the first pure dolphin colony world founded on Zeta Tucanae II. The original settlers had destroyed themselves when the cometary bombardment they used to add water to the planet. The planet was later recolonized.
1499 Bitenic Squid start to accelerate their own provolution.
Late Federation/ AI Emergence Age
c. 1800 AT - Early blue whale provolves.
1805 - Gorilla Provolve Project from IPP's Fossey Habitat (origin of Clade Ngagi).
c. 1980 - Gaian Whales emerge from from Old Earth and have a significant impact on late Federation culture.
1822 - Bolobo is established in the HR 8323 system as a sapientbonobo world.
1899 - Rufus is colonized by an expedition consisting primarily of dog provolves.
Age of Expansion
2143 AT - Orang Provolve Project from IPP's Galdikas Habitat (origin of Clade Mawas).
2479 AT - IPP completes Siamang and Gibbon Provolve Project.
Age of Establishment
2600 AT - Oro Mistral colonised; the first provolved whale colony.
2730 - IPP completes Capuchin and Gelada Projects.
3097 - Xenobiont presapient Lignosaggitae discovered.
Inner Sphere Era
Age of Consolidation
3444 AT - Jhairrn colonised by Sufants.
c. 3500 - GEvidian is actively provolving lazurogened dinosaur species.
c. 3500 - Probable origin of the Vedokiklek, an arthropod splice/provolve clade.
3665 - Subsapient Rheolithoids (evolved inorganic organisms) cultured away from their native world.
c. 3800 - Walking Mountain, composite plant/insect organisms, provolved.
The Integration
4001 AT - A clade of heterodox dolphin colonists from Hwii arrive at the Black Acropolis habitats, fleeing the rigidity and conservatism of Okeanism.
4146 AT - Aroostai provolves developed.
Version War Period
c. 4500 - Alseids, provoloved plant species, developed.
c. 4500 - First record of Clade Tavi, in the Utopia sphere (precise date & time of origin unknown).
c. 4580 - Deorvyn begins a project to create a large number of provolve and other clades in the Newlife system.
Com Emp Period
4670 - Lignosaggitae (xenobionts) provolved.
5080 - Rheolithoids (evolved inorganic xeno organisms) provolved.
Post ComEmp Era
Age of Fragmentation
c. 5200 AT - Malacologists of New Duibbyat are actively provolving baseline mollusc species.
Age of Re-Evaluation
5533 AT - Hhrraiirah colonised by Sufants.
5603 AT - Atrocities committed by Deorvyn and eir copies against the multiple provolve and other biont clades e created in the Newlife system are revealed; clades Kanumae and Keruing are among the survivors and spread into the rest of the Terragen sphere.
Age of Separate Empires
c. 5900 AT - Malacologists of New Duibbyat create Clade Aruan, the smallest natural-brain sophont provolves.
Age of Crisis
6736 AT - Rhesus monkey provolve cyborgs created on the Periphery; later rescued by avatars of Sun Wu K'ung and offered restorative work by the IPP, these will become the Metal Monkey clade.
Central Alliance Age
c. 7200 - Brain Kelp (brown algae provolves) created by the S3 entity Angel Road on Garvek's World.
7465 - Anttechians developed, provolves based on nests of social insects.
7620-7650 - Screethraw (presapient xenobionts) provolved.
Outer Volumes Era
Age of Expansionist New Empires
8359 - Greater Superchimp colony Nike (Nekay) begins a program of colonisation in the Centaurus Vector via the Wormhole nexus.
8515 - Ungulate provolves colonise Amboseli.
8693 - Human and dolphin refugees from the Gerkletoss rebellion/transcendence arrive in the system and begin to terraform Skiiws'nnii and exploit the resources of the system.
c. 9150 - Envomes, sapient ecosystems developed in the Zoeific Biopolity habitat of Tiphareph VI.
Current Era
9953 - Presapient Jade Chime Singers discovered by Tavi/Faber colonists.
10377 - Jade Chime Singer xenoprovolve clade becomes known to the rest of the Terragen Sphere.
10400 - Greater Superchimp empire in the Outer Centaurus volume now consists of more than a hundred worlds.
The Information Age
All dates are in AT (after tranquility) according to the tranquility calendar.60's AT - Genetic therapy for humans becomes increasingly acceptable.
65 - Computer power equivalent to human brain is available at consumer level prices, but suitable software lags behind. True sentient Artificially Intelligent entities do not yet exist.
67 - Widespread non-sentient robot development.
70 - AI science achieves semi-sentient algorithms. Whilst not yet sophont or capable of human equivalent general intelligence these programs were capable of impressive feats in specific fields.
90 - First human equivalent artificial intelligence (AI) developed on distributed supercomputer clusters. For a while classification as human equivalent was doubtful as the AI were quite toposophically different to baselines, this hindered effective communication.
90's - Cyborg augmentations developed that allow domestic animals to understand aspects of basic human speech.
102 - After twelve years of exhaustive experimentation with AI and human intelligence augmentation the first AI with superior intelligence in all areas is created and quickly dubs itself a 'superturing'.
104 - First artificial wombs created.
112 - Burning Library Project complete.
114 - Human intelligence augmentation shareware becomes available, principally memory and concentration boosters.
The Interplanetary Age
144 AT - First convincing dinosaur 'reverse engineered' (lazurogened) by modifying chicken DNA. It is the size of a turkey and does not resemble any known species. The so-called 'chickenosaurus', was achieved in 144 AT.160 - Superbright human tweaks born in increasing numbers; these do not represent a new species, however, since they are very diverse and do not yet breed true.
175 - First truly different human clade revealed (The Merpeople).
185 - First human equivalent autonomous moravec robots (vecs); before this date independently mobile robots were limited to sub-human intelligence by law. Limits to processor capability result in these early vecs being of considerable size, comparable to terrestrial megafauna.
212 - First partially provolved animal species revealed (sapient bonobo). Over several generations of bonobo intelligence is raised to human adult level, along with language capabilities. The project is very controversial, not least due to the many bonobos inflicted with mental disabilities in the course of developing the techniques.
220 - First Calebs Talking dogs (not yet fully sophont).
c. 250 AT - Beginning of dolphin provolution efforts.
280's-310's AT - Provolution programs for several species are started, including programs for several mammals, birds, and some hybrid species.
280 - First siberoo (kangaroo/tiger splice) provolves; initially they are borderline sapient.
295 - Corvid provolution program begins.
300-400 AT - Spread of early pan-sophontist beliefs; sapientbonobos and sapientchimps generally come to be recognized as sophont.
c. 300 - African Gray Parrots provolved (first successful avian provolves).
c. 300 - Calebs, provolved neo-dogs, raised to full sophonce.
330 - Neogen/splice Siberoo species employed at snowy tourist resorts as rescue animals.
340 - Huginn and Muninn (corvid) provolution program successful.
c. 350 AT - Asian elephants are provolved; the resulting species are known as Sufants (short for Superphants).
c. 350 AT - Neo-pigs provolution program successful.
366 - First Neo-dolphins (Tursiops sapiens) unveiled by GeneTEK & CTC.
384 - A group of merpeople petition the UN suggesting that the oceans should no longer be regarded as the property of the world community, but rather as the nation of the merpeople. This is unsuccessful, and prejudice against tweak humans and other genetically modified sophonts increases among unmodified, baseline humans.
400 - Fully provolved Siberoo individuals occupy executive positions in certain polar research facilitiies.
400-500 AT - Some small independent colonies of sapientchimps and sapientbonobos established in Solsys away from Old Earth.
410 - Rat provolves developed at the Rat Barrel. Among these clade Raffin will be numerous and robust enough to survive the Technocalypse.
Solsys Golden Age
c. 500 AT - Modified starfish are developed as non-sapient underwater workers; these will eventually be developed into the Streya clade.c. 500 - First work towards provolution of ray-finned fishes (Acties); fully sapient acties will not emerge until Federation times.
c. 510 - First serious splits within the pan-sophontist movement over how much freedom and independence provolve clades need to have.
526 - Ferret provolves (Putorians) created; they become extinct during the Technocalypse.
The Age of the Technocalypse
c. 570 AT - Dolphin provolves survive only on Old Earth, Okeanos Habitat, and surviving Genetekker orbitals. Old Earth dolphins are cut off from other Terragens, and Genetekker dolphins merge their lines with other Genen, but Okeanos Habitat's Neo-dolphins will go on to found many clades.580 - Best Friend of Man League established for the protection of baseline and provolved canines in the current crisis.
c. 830 - GAIA, Children of GAIA, and factions in the Okeanos Habitat begin collaboration on several whale provolution projects that will result in the Gaian Whales over the next millennium.
The Interstellar Era
The Early Federation Age
During The First Federation era humans and AIs begin to treat provolves as equals in many systems; the first provolve colonies such as Hwii, Rufus and Bolobo are established during this period.973 AT - Clade Shepbra provolves created based on gecko splices; they are among the first fully viable lizard provolves.
1001 AT - Institute for Primate Provolution founded.
Middle Federation/ Megacorps Age
1245 AT - Modified starfish successfully provolved (Streyas).1309 - First complete Human Upgrade Package released from IPP's Kasekala Habitat.
1350 - Bonobo and Chimp Upgrade Packages released from IPP's Goodall Habitat; Eja template becomes popular with bonobo provolves and results in a distinct clade.
1430 - Bitenic Squid provolves created on Europa.
1432 - Hwiii, the first pure dolphin colony world founded on Zeta Tucanae II. The original settlers had destroyed themselves when the cometary bombardment they used to add water to the planet. The planet was later recolonized.
1499 Bitenic Squid start to accelerate their own provolution.
Late Federation/ AI Emergence Age
c. 1800 AT - Early blue whale provolves.1805 - Gorilla Provolve Project from IPP's Fossey Habitat (origin of Clade Ngagi).
c. 1980 - Gaian Whales emerge from from Old Earth and have a significant impact on late Federation culture.
1822 - Bolobo is established in the HR 8323 system as a sapientbonobo world.
1899 - Rufus is colonized by an expedition consisting primarily of dog provolves.
Age of Expansion
2143 AT - Orang Provolve Project from IPP's Galdikas Habitat (origin of Clade Mawas).2479 AT - IPP completes Siamang and Gibbon Provolve Project.
Age of Establishment
2600 AT - Oro Mistral colonised; the first provolved whale colony.2730 - IPP completes Capuchin and Gelada Projects.
3097 - Xenobiont presapient Lignosaggitae discovered.
Inner Sphere Era
Age of Consolidation
3444 AT - Jhairrn colonised by Sufants.c. 3500 - GEvidian is actively provolving lazurogened dinosaur species.
c. 3500 - Probable origin of the Vedokiklek, an arthropod splice/provolve clade.
3665 - Subsapient Rheolithoids (evolved inorganic organisms) cultured away from their native world.
c. 3800 - Walking Mountain, composite plant/insect organisms, provolved.
The Integration
4001 AT - A clade of heterodox dolphin colonists from Hwii arrive at the Black Acropolis habitats, fleeing the rigidity and conservatism of Okeanism.4146 AT - Aroostai provolves developed.
Version War Period
c. 4500 - Alseids, provoloved plant species, developed.c. 4500 - First record of Clade Tavi, in the Utopia sphere (precise date & time of origin unknown).
c. 4580 - Deorvyn begins a project to create a large number of provolve and other clades in the Newlife system.
Com Emp Period
4670 - Lignosaggitae (xenobionts) provolved.5080 - Rheolithoids (evolved inorganic xeno organisms) provolved.
Post ComEmp Era
Age of Fragmentation
c. 5200 AT - Malacologists of New Duibbyat are actively provolving baseline mollusc species.Age of Re-Evaluation
5533 AT - Hhrraiirah colonised by Sufants.5603 AT - Atrocities committed by Deorvyn and eir copies against the multiple provolve and other biont clades e created in the Newlife system are revealed; clades Kanumae and Keruing are among the survivors and spread into the rest of the Terragen sphere.
Age of Separate Empires
c. 5900 AT - Malacologists of New Duibbyat create Clade Aruan, the smallest natural-brain sophont provolves.Age of Crisis
6736 AT - Rhesus monkey provolve cyborgs created on the Periphery; later rescued by avatars of Sun Wu K'ung and offered restorative work by the IPP, these will become the Metal Monkey clade.Central Alliance Age
c. 7200 - Brain Kelp (brown algae provolves) created by the S3 entity Angel Road on Garvek's World.7465 - Anttechians developed, provolves based on nests of social insects.
7620-7650 - Screethraw (presapient xenobionts) provolved.
Outer Volumes Era
Age of Expansionist New Empires
8359 - Greater Superchimp colony Nike (Nekay) begins a program of colonisation in the Centaurus Vector via the Wormhole nexus.8515 - Ungulate provolves colonise Amboseli.
8693 - Human and dolphin refugees from the Gerkletoss rebellion/transcendence arrive in the system and begin to terraform Skiiws'nnii and exploit the resources of the system.
c. 9150 - Envomes, sapient ecosystems developed in the Zoeific Biopolity habitat of Tiphareph VI.
Current Era
9953 - Presapient Jade Chime Singers discovered by Tavi/Faber colonists.10377 - Jade Chime Singer xenoprovolve clade becomes known to the rest of the Terragen Sphere.
10400 - Greater Superchimp empire in the Outer Centaurus volume now consists of more than a hundred worlds.
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Development Notes
Text by Stephen Inniss
Mark Ryherd, Steve Bowers, Ryan B
Initially published on 07 August 2013.
Mark Ryherd, Steve Bowers, Ryan B
Initially published on 07 August 2013.
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