Biopunk
From Freepedia
Biopunk is a portmanteau word combining "biology" and "punk".
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Science fiction
Biopunk is a sub-genre of science fiction which uses elements from the hard-boiled detective novel, film noir, Japanese anime, and post-modernist prose. It describes the nihilistic, underground side of the biotech society which started to evolve in the first decade of the twenty-first century.
Unlike cyberpunk, it builds not on informational technology but on biology. Individuals are enhanced not by mechanical means, but by genetic manipulation of their very chromosomes. One of the prominent writers in this field is Paul Di Filippo, though he called his collection of such stories ribofunk, with the first element being taken from the full name of RNA, ribonucleic acid.
Closer to the noir/hard-boiled end of the spectrum are the novels in the Moreau Series by S. Andrew Swann whose books use genetically-engineered "moreaus" as an oppressed underclass against which play out Raymond Chandler-esque detective plots. The short novella the Eyes of Heisenberg written by Frank Herbert deals with citizens who were ruled by Optimen or genetically enhanced leaders who lived hundreds of years. They ruled with an iron fist over the citzens and babies were artificially born and "cutted" for any genetic defaults.
Proto-movement
There is a growing number of scientists, artists and cultural critics that are organizing to create public awareness of how human genomic information gets used and misused.
Analysis of information provided in external links is needed.
See also
External links
- Biopunk by Annalee Newitz
- Genome liberation by Annalee Newitz
- Ribopunk by Jeffrey Fisher
Categories: Science fiction stubs | Sociology stubs | Cyberpunk | Science fiction genres | Social movements
