BY LETTER
Homo Superior Genemods
 Image from Keuth Wigdor and Midjourney AI |
Vignette: Superior Genemods
Casey's dilemma was writ plain on his face. We'd scored last-minute tickets to a live dialogue with Juji-9, the number one explorer this side of the wormhole! E was due to merge eir forks and light-out in less than an hour. If we wanted to meet em we had to go now. Therein lay the problem. We had courseware due that neither of us had completed. Our juvenile credit didn't extend to forking, if it did we could have completed the work and met with Juji.
I could practically see the heat rising from Casey's bald head as his implants furiously simulated actions and consequence, deliverable timetables and quality prediction metrics. He was trying to figure out how much a late submission would cost him. I, on the other hand, was not worried. Unlike my nearbaseline friend I could do both at once. My parents had chosen a superior clade for my genome, granting me a decent multitasking ability. Focusing inward I felt the choir of my mind. Four distinct tones, one for each of my neocortical lobes, sang in harmony. The sense was artificially synesthesiac but that didn't make it any easier to explain to Casey. His brain still bore the architecture of mother nature; unoptimised and divided bilaterally.
I dropped into a deeper state of meditation. Were I an adult I could have adjusted my cognitive function without pausing to blink. But at this age I needed a guiding technique. Listening to the choir I separated out a note, beginning the strangest part of the process. As the sound settled into one tripart harmony and one single tune, I experienced a surreal echoing in my thoughts. This was expected when one quarter of my brain desynchronized with the rest, the bandwidth along the corpus callosum dropping according to my wishes.
The echo faded into a dim whisper at the back of mind. I could feel a part of myself thinking about the courseware and initiating a net connection. It was like having a quiet second voice in my head, as though I were hearing the self-dialogue of some unconscious problem solving. Returning the bulk of my attention to Casey I felt slightly dulled, understandably given the multitasking. The whispered thoughts felt even more sluggish but I was confident it would be enough to get the work done.
With a smile I pushed my catatonic friend towards the transit hub. He would likely choose to face the wrath of his parents over giving up meeting Juji-9. As we were whisked to the far side of the hab I thought to make a list of questions to ask the renowned explorer. A task for another lobe...
Overview
Unlike their near-baseline cousins, the development of the Homo Superior clade has historically followed a much more organized and planned process, with market forces and random genetic intermixing playing a far smaller role. Superiors were derived from a much more deliberate attempt to enhance human genetic potential and this tradition has continued throughout their history. This has resulted in a much more consistent set of genetic modifications across the Superior clade, with local variations and preferences playing a much smaller part. While they share a number of nearbaseline genemods, such as enhanced immune systems, Superiors have a plethora of differences, both as a general rule and in terms of distinct qualities that set them far apart from the near-baseline norm.Mildly Semperist attitudes have pervaded throughout superior cultures, even though many of their natural capabilities can be outperformed by a baseline with suitable augmentation (e.g. sophisticated medisystems for healing) the retention of these obsolete traits has remained strong. In many cases the performance of technological replacements has been worked into superior genomes. For example; not only do the natural healing capabilities of a superior outstrip that of baselines in efficiency, speed and capability but they have been designed to seamlessly complement medisystem behaviour. A superior with the same medisystem as a baseline will therefore get better performance from the technology.
The following should be seen as a general list and not a total description of every characteristic of every Superior. Over time different Su groups and societies have tended to prefer some traits over others and have engineered themselves to enhance or reduce those traits accordingly.
Note: many augmented species, including various cyborgs, also call themselves superiors (for instance su-chimps, su-dogs and so on); but the Homo superior clade has retained and developed the same genome since the Interplanetary Age; this essay relates specifically to them.
Metabolic traits
Respiratory Efficiency Superior blood and muscle tissue captures and uses oxygen much more efficiently then the baseline norm. In addition their lungs have been redesigned to operate in a manner similar to that of some species of Terran bird, utilizing a counter-current exchange system that permits them to operate at very low partial pressures. This allows su to operate in either low pressure or high altitude habitats in comfort. On average, under conditions of standard temperature and pressure, a su can hold their breath for up to 15 minutes of low activity or 3 minutes of intense activity.Digestion and Energy Consumption Superior digestive systems process food with a much higher level of efficiency and discrimination than the baseline norm. This trait mitigates some of the increased food intake superiors require compared to baselines in order to fuel their enhanced capabilities. A su metabolism will only absorb the optimum amount of nutrients, proteins, amino acids, and minerals to meet the environmental demands that their body is undergoing at the time. Excess or toxic levels of these substances are rejected and removed from the body in the normal course of digestion. Superior bodies also store energy with greater efficiency, adipose cell storage favours wax substances over fat along with metabolic pathways to break down said wax into usable energy. This allows them to both go for longer periods (usually of low physical activity) without eating and to compensate for the demands of their enhanced bodies and minds.
Like near-baselines, their bodies can also process cellulose. As a result of these modifications superior digestive systems produce a much smaller amount of waste with defecation taking place much less frequently. In extreme cases, superiors have been known to go as long as 10 standard weeks without food and survive the experience, although extensive rehabilitative therapy was required afterward. During these periods, bodily waste production drops to nearly zero.
Toxin Response and Breakdown The digestive system, liver and individual tissues have been engineered to express a more complex and effective cocktail of antitoxin proteins. Homo superiors can ingest large quantities of disparate poisons with little to no negative effect, other than the increased energy used for breaking down said poisons. This feature not only makes them more resistant to accidental poisoning but also enables superiors to survive for longer on the surfaces of planets with chemically harsh atmospheres and hydrospheres.
Hibernation and metabolic throttling Despite significant improvements in digestion and energy storage superiors still require elevated food intake compared to baselines. In event that food becomes scarce the various enhanced tissues of Homo Superior can individually enter hibernation modes, consuming less energy at the cost of whatever capability they provide. In the civilized galaxy use of this energy saving measure is rare outside of sport or religious observation, however the ethos of redundant design in many superior clades conserves it across time.
If desired, Superiors can consciously activate this ability throughout their body so as to enter a deep hibernation state similar to that experienced by some types of Terran mammals and other lifeforms. Achieving this state requires both training and practice and it is normally desirable to precede it with a significant period of both fluid and food intake to build up the bodies reserves. Properly trained and prepared, a su can maintain a state of deep hibernation for periods of up to half a standard year without ill effects.
Physical Traits
Wound healing and Lifespan All aspects of biological self-repair for superiors have been extensively reengineered for enhanced capability. Low-error DNA repair, rapid clotting, scarless tissue remodelling and organ/limb regeneration are all common su features. The immune system has also been significantly enhanced, not only virtually eliminating autoimmune disorders but also better pathogen recognition and adaptive response. Thanks to all this the average superior enjoys an unaugmented lifespan of 800 years versus the neb average of 400.Secondary organs Originating from the Semperist camp of superiors this complex genemod introduces a variety of novel organs capable of sustaining the body in event that a major organ is damaged. These secondary organs are much smaller than the primaries in order to take up less space and energy for maintenance. Thumb-sized pumps along major arteries, inflatable digestion sacs around the stomach and ainstinct loaded vertebrae are all common additions. Whilst these organs are not capable of keeping the superior body alive long term there have been several accounts of near-dead superiors surviving for days whilst their primary organs were healed.
Enhanced Musculature and size On average, Superiors are only slightly taller than nearbaselines, but some clades have gone further, increasing their average size to 2.4 meters. This increase in proportions allows for a proportionately larger brain, providing extra processing capacity for their cognitive functions. Their muscles are constructed differently from the nearbaseline norm, allowing their muscle fibers to work together more readily and with greater efficiency. As such, the average su is around 2-3 times as strong as a nearbaseline of equal size.
Ambidexterity and Flexibility Su can use their right or left hands with equal skill and have no preference. They will use whichever limb is more readily available. Superior feet and toes are also very limber and can (with some training) be used as additional manipulators for limited tasks comparable to those achieved by some humans who have lost the use of their arms or hands.
Kinesthetic Enhancements Superiors do not get dizzy or disoriented as a result of rapid changes in direction or spinning motions. A su can quite comfortably be spun on multiple axes simultaneously while catching objects thrown at them from different directions. If they choose to throw the objects back they will likely never miss.
Connective shock absorbers and hardened membranes Overall superiors are much more resistant to damage than their baseline cousins. Their connective tissues have been redesigned to incorporate an additional (albeit sparse) vascular-like system. Rather than transporting blood or lymph this system contains non-newtonian polymers in solution. In normal motion this solution acts like any other liquid but when the body is subjected to excessive blunt force the solution hardens, absorbing the energy and protecting vital organs. Aside from offering increased physical protection this genemod, in conjunction with cardiovascular and muscular engineering, allows homo superiors to experienced significant g-forces with minimal damage.
Low-temperature Adaptations Superior blood contains a series of protein structures that prevents their blood and tissue from freezing in all but the most extreme conditions. Superiors can survive (albeit not necessarily comfortably) at temperatures down to 0° C indefinitely and temperatures as low as -1.6°C for periods of several hours without ill effects although this will normally result in a slowing of their metabolism, rate of movement, and so on if maintained for more then a few minutes. The original purpose of this adaptation was to allow Superiors to more easily be placed into cryogenic stasis. The later development of nanostasis has made this adaptation somewhat superfluous, but most su clades have retained it. Whether this is for sentimental reasons, or as a 'just in case' fallback in case the technology of nanostasis becomes unavailable, or for some other reason depends on which su clade one asks.
General Bio-optimization Through their expanded genome and comprehensive epigenetic regulation, superior bodies are designed to rapidly adapt to changing environmental conditions. Placing a su in a given environment (high temperature, low temperature, humid, dry, high, low, or microgravity conditions, etc.) for a significant length of time will trigger (generally over a period of some weeks, but in extreme cases some changes can happen in a matter of hours) a series of physiological and biochemical changes that will result in the su being adapted to survive comfortably in the environment they are in. This may result in alteration of the physical features, darkening or lightening of the skin, growth or loss of insulating hair and fat layers, addition or loss of bone and cartilage, and so on. In more extreme cases even changes in limb number, organ function or even gender may be achieved. This ability also leads to su being able to gain rapid immunity to a wide range of allergens, poisons, and other organic and inorganic toxins. In addition, with some training and practice most su can activate and control their adaptive abilities through conscious effort allowing them to both accelerate the adaptive process and make limited alterations to their appearance fairly quickly. Minor changes such as alterations in eye or skin color may take a few days while more extensive changes to the musculature or bone structure may take weeks to months of effort.
A side benefit of this ability is that superiors respond very rapidly and effectively to physiological stressors such as exercise. Even the least active su typically maintains a level of fitness comparable to a baseline medium level amateur decathlete, just from normal day-to-day activities and their other biological modifications. However, if a su begins to engage in a pattern of specific additional exercise and diet, their body will rapidly optimize itself to take maximum advantage of the new conditions. For example a superior who takes up running will rapidly adapt to a level of cardiovascular fitness rivaling that of the best marathoner. If weightlifting and exercising for general fitness, the superior will soon match the best results of a dedicated fitness professional. If a dedicated program more geared to bodybuilding or power lifting is undertaken the same rapid and enhanced results will be seen. If a more 'skilled' sport is undertaken, such as martial arts or gymnastics, the necessary reflexes and speed will all develop, usually at a rate and level at least twice that of the best baseline athlete. In essence a su is a 'natural' at any type of physical activity they choose to undertake. Combined with an increased endorphin response from exercise, most su are dedicated amateurs in at least one or two sports at any given time.
Sensory traits
Vision Su vision is extremely acute, matching the best of the near-baseline genemods in terms of acuity, color sense, and night vision (felionoid vertical pupils are the norm among su). In addition, su have limited perception of both the infrared and ultraviolet parts of the spectrum.Hearing The Superior audio range extends beyond that normally developed in the near-baseline human, but not as far as is found in many animal species. Superiors can hear both higher and lower frequencies then near-baselines as well as being able to establish the direction of a sound with a high degree of accuracy. Virtually all Su have perfect pitch. With a small amount of practice a superior is capable of using this ability to gain the sense of echolocation.
Chemical sense Both smell and taste in superiors is enhanced to a significant degree. Not only are the organs themselves much improved but the corresponding sections of a su brain are much better at interpreting sensory data. A superior can, with high accuracy, identify the ingredient type and quantity of their food. Smell can also be used in this manner and allows a superior to experience their environment in a manner that is on par with the terrestrial bloodhound.
Precision thermoception Reengineering of the superior brain and thermoceptors allow superiors to experience discreet changes in temperature. With training (or sufficient life experience) a superior is capable of telling the ambient temperature to within half a degree kelvin.
Pain as information Both nocireceptors and the distributed pain centres of the brain have been completely reworked in superiors. The overriding emotional/instinctive reaction that pain invokes in terrestrial life has been drastically diminished. In its place superiors experience the discomfort of pain in a mild, detached fashion. Along with this sensory experience comes much more detailed interpretation. Superiors in pain can precisely locate the source, type and can precisely measure the extent of the damage according to previous experience. Unlike nearbaselines, who deal with pain by shutting it off, superiors treat pain as simply more information on which to base decisions. Even excruciating pain can be rationally considered without resulting in loss of mental control or psychological trauma (albeit with some effort at the highest levels).
Mental Traits
Timekeeping The various circadian systems of the baseline human are expanded in superior bodies allowing for precise, conscious keeping of time. Superior memories are effectively timestamped and instinctively a su can tell how many seconds have passed between events. This ability supports many other traits, such as focus and hibernation, by allowing superiors to activate their more advanced abilities and set a timer for when to deactivate them. Whilst capable the timekeeping isn't perfect and over time a calibration is needed. With a little training this can be easily achieved through a short meditation listening or otherwise observing a metronomic device.Minimal Sleep Superior brains perform the various restorative functions normally carried out during sleep much more rapidly than the near-baseline norm. As such they have no need for more then 3-4 hours of sleep out of every 24 under most circumstances. Only after periods of extreme physical activity do su have a need for extended rest. If engaged in mostly mental activities and supplied with sufficient nutrients, a su can also go without sleeping at all for several days at a time. However such a feat will require a very extended sleep period later.
Multi-tasking Superior brains have more white matter connecting different brain regions, eliminating processing bottlenecks in the prefrontal cortex. This allows Superiors to easily handle up to four separate tasks simultaneously, and as many as six with some effort. For example, a su could easily watch four separate data feeds on four different subjects at the same time and gain full information from all of them. Or (if sufficiently motivated) watch one data feed, listen to another, carry on a simultaneous conversation with a person or people, and write two separate papers (one with each hand) on two different topics. Although if kept up for more then a few hours this requires some amount of rest. As a result of this, superior languages tend to carry much more information than near-baseline communication methods. A 'high' superior language may employ a combination of voice (using the maximum number of voice sounds possible), hand signs, and coded blinking all taking place simultaneously and transmitting either multiple levels of meaning on the same subject or information on three entirely different subjects at the same time.
Enhanced Focus Along with the ability to divide their attention in multiple directions simultaneously, most Superiors also have some ability to devote their entire attention to a single task above all others. When the need arises, a su can focus their mind on a single task to the exclusion of all else, becoming neither discouraged nor bored regardless of how repetitious or unrewarding the task may be. This ability permits su to avoid boredom on long journeys, work on repetitious tasks for hours or days on end without frustration, and keep their attention focused on a task in the face of numerous and even violent distractions. It should be noted that after some well-publicized problems with this adaptations in the early years of su development, the ability was redesigned so that the need for food, water, and sleep will eventually override any degree of focus that a Superior may be employing. While nearly all Superiors have both enhanced multi-tasking and focusing abilities to one degree or another, different sub-clades have tended to prefer one ability over the other for various reasons, either aesthetic or societal. As such, it is rare for a superior to have both abilities in equal measure.
Memory and Observation Su possess both a redesigned and more efficient brain structure. Su enjoy both virtually perfect short-term memories and the ability to either 'fix' or erase memories at will. Working memory is also significantly improved. A superior can hold within their "mind's eye" complex scenes. In combination with their improved pattern recognition and innate mathematical ability superiors can create simulations in their minds and run them as a computer would (albeit not to the detail possible using computronium). In addition, they observe the world around them with a level of acuity generally ascribed only to such fictional characters as Sherlock Holmes. When a superior chooses to, they may remember something at such a level of 'fidelity' as to virtually re-experience it but with the added ability to speed up, slow down, or 'freeze' the pace of events in the memory so that they may examine it at leisure. This ability makes superiors almost unimpeachable witnesses. An additional side-effect of this ability is that su have a virtually perfect sense of direction, and are able to find their way back to their starting point (or anywhere along the journey) after even the most convoluted trip involving turns, switchbacks, dead-ends and so on.
Pattern Recognition Superiors have extremely enhanced pattern recognition abilities, allowing them to (for example) pick meaningful information out of even highly complex or 'busy' backgrounds or see the connections between seemingly disparate events (although transapients vastly exceed them in this regard). As a result su are able to detect most camouflaged objects or lifeforms that rely on visual mimicry, can pick out 'hidden' words or pictures from a jumble of letters or images with ease, and see the connections between or consequences of events much more readily then their near-baseline cousins.
Innate calculation A more advanced version of the nearbaseline genemod, this ability allows superiors to effortlessly solve mathematical problems as easy as reading them. Owing to a specialised neural network organised to function as an advanced biological calculator superiors can easily think in mathematical terms, construct and solve complex equations and precisely analyse their sensory input. Superiors with this trait are able to instantly recognise relative dimensions, object sizes/distances and other patterns in their environment from a simple glance.
Slearning All Superiors possess this genemod as a core part of their design. Su can learn virtually any task or information comprehensible to a sub-transapient mind. Their enhanced neural plasticity allows them to gain new knowledge and skills very rapidly, with their brains literally adding to their complexity and structure as new abilities are added. Furthermore they are able to achieve virtually total comprehension in a given field and then both extend that field to more general or unique cases or combine it with other information or skill-sets they may have learned. This gives the average su a level of ability previously only seen in ancient Terran 'idiot savants' although in the case of a Superior their talents can encompass multiple fields simultaneously and result in no loss of mental function in other areas. For this reason, it is common for most su to have at least three, if not more, separate occupations, which they will work to bring together in various harmonious ways (often in a manner not at all obvious to the average baseline or neb).
Emotional traits
Delayed gratification and rationally designed emotions Compared to their baseline cousins superiors rarely have to battle their emotions with conscious coping mechanisms. Superior brains are predisposed towards natural capabilities like delayed gratification; avoiding instant gratification or undertaking unpleasant activities to achieve a greater gratification in the future is a positive experience for superiors. Similarly predispositions towards better responses to stress and anxiety are common. Unlike a baseline superiors do not need to develop mechanisms or otherwise strive to not feel a constant sense of worry despite rationally concluding that control of events is out of their hands. Initial development of these traits was tricky, if anxious feelings were too limited or shut off too soon individuals would be content to do nothing about an issue even though if they could have affected the outcome if they thought on it further. Anxiety in superiors does not completely go away due to rational thought, periodically levels will rise again but will drop once the superior feels they have thought through all the options. This set of modifications has made H. superior resistant to a wide range of common mental health disorders seen in baselines such as anxiety and depressive disorders.Phobias, Panic and Shock Superior mental structures have been redesigned to eliminate such things as excessive fear of heights, darkness, enclosed spaces and so on. While they retain those reflexive reactions necessary to maintain the safety of the body (touch something hot, jerk away, think about it later, etc.), they typically do not succumb to 'panic' or the overwhelming of rational thought by emotional stress. In a disaster or catastrophic situation, Superiors will always 'keep their wits about them'. Superiors do not go into 'shock', either physical or mental, regardless of the degree of stress they may be undergoing.
 Image from Steve Bowers |
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Development Notes
Text by Updated by Extherian 2020
From an original article by Todd Drashner and Ryan B (Rynn)
Initially published on 05 December 2005.
Vignette by Ryan B, February 2022
From an original article by Todd Drashner and Ryan B (Rynn)
Initially published on 05 December 2005.
Vignette by Ryan B, February 2022
