Post by Alex on May 10, 2018 23:09:53 GMT -5
Gene Modification
With gene modification, people have been able to create incredible feats in the human body. These effects are wide-ranging and can have serious effects on those who undergo treatments. Gene modification in the Sol System was mostly reserved for the rich. Many paid massive fortunes to undergo extreme modifications to improve organ development and efficiency, height, longevity, cerebral functions, and even revamp entire nervous systems.
Due to the exclusivity, and often the status implications therein, gene modification became somewhat of a fashion statement in many rings of high class society. Modifications were often used as a clear statement of wealth and position, and the term "modded" became a common identifier of those who have undergone treatments. However, that does not deny the benefit of the modifications. Where cybernetic enhancements often left physical details or signs, gene modding is internal and is therefore seen as improving the very nature of the body instead of changing it.
The side-effects to gene modding are minimal in most cases, though unforeseen defects are not unheard of. Occasionally, improving something in the human body would cause something else to overwork to compensate, or to degrade in effectiveness. Balance in modding requires even more treatments and, because of the expense of the treatments, proved even more the status and wealth of the recipient. Defects in modification affects roughly 16% of all mod treatments, which is considerably higher than cybernetics.
A few results in genetic modifications include increased overall height, stronger bones and muscle tissue, improved eyesight, boosted or even expedited natural healing, and even an increase in maximum age. While most humans live to be around 100 years, gene modding can increase longevity to over 120. Some have even reached 150 years with extensive modding.
Cybernetics
Cybernetics are considered by some to be the most effective and technologically advanced discoveries since the internet. Providing physical improvements to wide a audience, given a much lower comparative marketing value than genetic modifications, cybernetics have been called the "life of the people." By the 25th century, over 50% of the human population had been enhanced with cybernetics at least once.
Given their effectiveness and widely competitive market, cybernetics have been used in as many circumstances as are available to imagination. Medical research hit a landslide of support when the first cybernetics were used to replace failed or damaged organs, eradicating the need for transplantations.
The use for cybernetics have really only been limited by the imagination. A growing trend in certain circles of adding more and more enhancements created a sub-group among humans commonly known as "ravers." Ravers became obsessed with continuously adding cybernetic enhancements to the point of replacing whole limbs or even adding extras. Because of this, the term "raver" has become a derogatory term among higher society, who views the process as unseemly and crass, for anyone with cybernetic enhancements.
The side-effects of cybernetics tend to function differently than gene modding. Because cybernetics deal with physical replacement or addition, instead of altering DNA with gene modding, they are usually more predictable. This, however, does not alleviate the known effects that some cybernetic enhancements cause. Implants often leave scar tissue, though modern surgery techniques coupled with tissue re-graphing has limited that to the most extreme cases. As well, cybernetic fibers have a 7% chance of failing to properly connect to the nerve tissue of the recipient, which can cause extreme pain and even muscle degradation.
Still, many view the use of cybernetics as more than worth the risk. Because of them, many people enjoy full lives where without them they may be crippled, deformed, or even dead.
