Homo supernus

Homo superior is the pinnical form of humanity and the logical extension of homo panacea. The 'strain' is labelled alpha superior, however, unlike the normal alpha strain, it requires an extended period of time in a specially prepared nanite-bactal bath, to properly reconstruct an adult body and brain. Adults are capable of reproduction normally, however.

Some call them, along with similarly enhanced humans, the heartless. Currently, about four hundred million humans have received alpha superior treatment, with about fifty million new 'patients' per year.

Enhancements

Homo superior goes far beyond the alpha strain project, with capabilities and endurance that rival the beta strain, or homo excelsior. It was designed with the following limitations in mind:

• Must be able to grow and thrive without advanced tools in an earthlike biosphere.
• Must be cellular, and capable of true reproduction.
• Form must remain identifiably and aesthetically human.

• The braincase, at least in adults, is a nearly fully independant system, capable of surviving for extremely extended periods in harsh conditions without support from the rest of the body.
• Vastly improved radiation tolerance and recovery.
• The entire circulatory system has been reworked, supplanting the need for a single heart. Rather, an extended musculoarterial network supplies blood (much as it can still be called that) to the body, with no less than twenty separate circulatory systems providing blood to the body. It functions in a continuous fashion, with a constant pressure.
• The skeletal structure takes advantage of titanium during growth, and is the eventual replacement for cartiledge in homo superior. Certain minor aspects of joints and other skeletal issues are also resolved, allowing for greater mobility and flexibility.
• Muscle tissue is significantly stronger, capable of easily sustaining nearly a hundred times the strain of ordinary tissue.
• The basic genetic and cellular structure is reworked, allowing the homo superior to survive and act comfortably in a wider range of temperatures, from the cold void of space to over 350 Kelvin (~80 Celsius). Survival in extreme cold is dependant on the medium, of course - a liquid nitrogen bath of sufficient size will still freeze the body (though not necessarily kill the braincase.
• All neurons have undergone a complete redesign. Their impulses are now more electrical in nature, giving homo superior vastly improved reflexes and sensory awareness.
• Senses are far more acute and varied:
  • Vision spans parts of the near infrared (~1,050 nm) through near-ultraviolet (200 nm) spectrum. Several additional types of photoreceptors are in use, are denser, and trigger at a much higher frequency. In addition, there is a far greater tolerance for high-intensity light as well as vastly superior night vision.
  • Hearing is located entirely outside the braincase, though not visibly so. Capable of resolving sounds from 10 hertz to 200 kilohertz, it is significantly more sensative and rugged than the root strain ear, and capable of passive echolocation.
  • The sense of smell is significantly more powerful than a normal human, and capable of resolving more chemicals with higher accuracy. It is further combined with taste, though primarily for recreational reasons.
  • Magnetoception is implanted, mainly consisting of a pair of organs set into the cheekbones near the nose.
  • Skin has been augmented as a powerful supplementory sensory organ to all of the above senses:
    • Sensing of 'heat' and 'cold' has expanded to a broad full-spectrum ability, from microwaves to x-rays, and is capable of resolving shape and range to a limited degree.
    • Tactile sensations are sensative enough that they are also capable of 'hearing' even allowing basic echolocation of a sort.
    • Various chemical receptors in the skin and on 'hair follicles' are used to identify basic chemical properties, such as ph, oxygenation, and so on, along with a few other abilities.
    • A limited number of magnetosomes are also present in homo superior skin cells, supplementing magnetoception.
• A vastly more tolerant biology, in particular of heavy metals - lead is in fact used in the braincase, even.
• As the person matures, a trio of biologically-grown deuterium fusion generators form within the body - two near the kidney analogues, and one inside the braincase. While far weaker and less efficient than ordinary generators, it makes the body far more independant, and many energetic feats would not even be feasible without such an exotic power source.
• Related to the above, the homo superior body contains mechanisms for filtering and 'breathing' water and hydrogen atmospheres.
• Likewise, the body is capable of withstanding a vast range of pressures, from hard vacuum to well over a kilobar (a thousand times standard atmospheric pressure at sea level).

While the above is only a summary of the differences, it is a good overview of the most important ones. It is also important to note the considerable effort required to raise such an enhanced human.

Future Plans

Outside of the variations supported by and undergoing submission to the Consortium Diversity Council, homo superior is 'finished', there being no real room for improvement in the design without either utilizing patterns or exotics. Hawkinium has been considered for use in braincase design, however this is considered a similarly minor design change. Given its expense, this enhancement is currently reserved for homo excelsior but may propogate down if a reasonable means for generating hawkinium is found, or enough resources are dedicated to its production.

Eventually, homo superior is intended to replace homo panacea completely. The goal for this development is to occur by the end of the 23rd century. The main reason for the 'slow' adoption pace is because it is a resource drain of similar magnitude to humanity's other megaprojects, and a bit of caution in case some problem is discovered later.