Ecology, Medicine, and Biotech

Before colonization, Hemera's indigenous life mostly took the form of scrubby, sparse vegetation and small, lizard-like creatures; the largest known animal was a six-legged, scaly creature with short, pointed, cat-like ears and an elephant-like trunk. There is a relatively large preserve of original lifeforms on Elysia, but most of the indigenous biosphere today can be found in the ocean. While marine life from Earth was also transplanted, the two ecologies have meshed and found a sort of balance. Few know much about the ocean, especially deep down, where it is believed indigenous life still holds sway.

Because the two biospheres have fundamental chemical differences, they don't usually compete in the same way species with the same planet of origin would. Ecology is, however, a sometimes delicate balance, first planned out by robotic AI terraformers and followed by ecological scientists among the colonists aboard the Aurora. These days the biosystems function more or less independently, but ecologists still keep close tabs on how everything balances out.

The forests and farms are all of Earth origin, but agricultural scientists do have to deal with indigenous diseases that affect crops, mostly in the form of growths such as fungus or mold. Humans and animals have proved somewhat more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections, especially since local viruses seem to be particularly adaptive and have produced several lethal strains. However, biotechnicians have been able to keep outbreaks in check. Disease is one of the more common causes of death, but it is not the great danger it was in the early years of the colony. Biological weapons were certainly part of the Global War, which is actually where some of the more virulent diseases came from.

Most people on Hemera are fairly nutritionally healthy, if only because agriculture had to be so finely tuned in order to produce enough to support the colony in the first few years. The crops that survived and the common staple foods and diets that resulted were generally pretty healthy, so as long as people get enough food – not such a difficult problem for most today – they are usually pretty fit. Exercise is also quite common on Hemera, because while transportation is fairly sophisticated, physical labor and appreciation of nature are part of the culture that settled the planet. Many things are not automated that probably could be, just because it goes against the idea of Hemeran work ethic and is seen as needlessly wasteful of energy resources.

Medical technology is fairly advanced. There's no such thing as an instant cure for anything, but healing is generally pretty rapid, as they have learned to boost the body's natural curative abilities. Preventive medicine is quite good, as is non-invasive surgery and advanced prostheses – although they also possess the capability to partially regenerate some body parts (not an entire hand or limb, but possibly fingers or certain internal organs). The typical life expectancy is around 90-100 years.

Genetic manipulation is fairly sophisticated, particularly in agriculture, but there are limits to the way it is used. Human cloning is theoretically possible, but isn't done – there is a ban on full human cloning in most nations. Cloning specific organs in a lab is quite frequent among those with the funds for it, as these are very useful for transplants. It also helps with regenerative treatments. Genetic manipulation of animals is less common than with plants – many animal species brought to Hemera were initially bred to adapt to the new environment, and occasional genetic tweaks are part of the larger process of maintaining a balanced ecology, but for the most part genetic manipulation of animals is fairly limited. There has been the occasional new species (some of them novelties for the rich, such as bioluminescent cats), but these are few and far between. Human genetic manipulation is not unknown either, though it mostly involves resistance to disease; since a good deal of genetic methods involve planned breeding, it's considered an invasion of personal autonomy to try to interfere in who chooses to breed with whom. Of course, this is a general attitude, and there is some variation in different nations and regions.