Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a branch of engineering and science concerning the integration of biological and artificial systems. The field initially encompassed only the use of biological components in an artificial process, but the usage of the term evolved with the associated technologies, and today it covers a range of fields. Genetic engineering is a ubiquitous technology and practice, with genetically modified foodcrops and people alike having completely replaced natural organisms in some regions of space.
Two cyborgs that have had their limbs and body skin replaced with metallic components. Only their head and internal organs remain natural; they require a removable helmet as a breathing apparatus in oxygen-poor environments.
Human Body Augmentation
A variety of biotechnologies have been developed to help humans cope with life throughout space. Neural interfaces provide a direct connection between a person and computers around them, as well as internal access to the uninet, but their various vulnerabilities have limited integration.
The most common type of human bioengineering is gene-tailoring, where an individual is genetically adapted to suit an exotic environment. A person can be genetically adjusted for comfort at different temperature or gravity ranges, to intake certain types of food, or comfortably breathe different levels of oxygen and atmospheric mixtures. Such modifications, where the individual is adjusted to suit an alien environment, are drastically preferential to terraforming.
Artificial bodily components are also common biotechnology, including lab-grown limb and organ replacements. This technology is used for individuals who have suffered injury, are afflicted by disease, or who simply wish to have part of their natural bodies supplanted with fresh parts. In other cases a person may have some of their body replaced with artificial machine parts, making them into a cyborg.
The most extreme case of body modification involves placing a person’s brain into a completely artificial body, where it remains the only original and natural aspect of the individual. Such extreme modifications are nevertheless rare for several reasons; their practical application is limited as even an unaugmented human can wear a simple full-body VR suit for fully integrated control of a remotely operated machine or robot. Additionally, full body replacement has been found to have an irreversible negative psychological effect on an individual, regardless of their upbringing.
Blackcrop, a genetically modified line of food grains grown in the open air of Derbou-VI that appear dark as they've been engineered to absorb all wavelengths of light for growth in the sunlight-deprived outer system.
A selection of food bricks. These blocks are extremely nutrient dense, and are placed inside a food processor machine which can combine them with water and inert fillers to 3D print a wide range of nutritional food products.
Food Production
Another major application of bioengineering is in food production. Society as it is known could not function without genetically augmented crops and labgrown sources of nutrients. The variety here is as limitless as the cultures themselves, who adapt new types of food for new environments and preferences. Agricultural products are modified to produce excessive yields with limited water, nutrients, room, soil, and solar energy, often within the confines of space stations or in greenhouses on alien worlds. They may also be tailored to grow and thrive in the open air of an alien world, just as people are. Lab-grown varieties of meat and other plant and nutrient products are also a common part of life.
Medicine
Biotechnology forms a key role in the field of healthcare and medicine; applications include the synthesis of organs or limbs, the production of pharmaceuticals, and the use of machines or processes used in identifying, monitoring, and treating injury and disease.