Biopunk (a
portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together. of "
biotechnology
Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...
" or "
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...
" and "
punk") is a
subgenre
Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
of
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
that focuses on biotechnology. It is derived from
cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...
, but focuses on the implications of biotechnology rather than
mechanical cyberware and
information technology
Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...
.
Biopunk is concerned with
synthetic biology
Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a multidisciplinary field of science that focuses on living systems and organisms. It applies engineering principles to develop new biological parts, devices, and systems or to redesign existing systems found in nat ...
. It is derived from cyberpunk and often involves
bio-hackers, biotech
megacorporations, and oppressive organizations that
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
. Most often keeping with the dark atmosphere of cyberpunk, biopunk generally examines risks and downsides of
genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of Genetic engineering techniques, technologies used to change the genet ...
and illustrates potential perils of biotechnologies.
Description
Biopunk is a subgenre of science fiction closely related to cyberpunk that focuses on the near-future (most often
unintended) consequences of the
biotechnology revolution following the invention of
recombinant DNA
Recombinant DNA (rDNA) molecules are DNA molecules formed by laboratory methods of genetic recombination (such as molecular cloning) that bring together genetic material from multiple sources, creating sequences that would not otherwise be fo ...
. Biopunk stories explore the struggles of individuals or groups, often the product of
human experimentation, against a typically
dystopian backdrop of
totalitarian
Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public sph ...
governments or megacorporations which misuse biotechnologies as means of
social control
Social control is the regulations, sanctions, mechanisms, and systems that restrict the behaviour of individuals in accordance with social norms and orders. Through both informal and formal means, individuals and groups exercise social con ...
and
profiteering. Often, the fruits of biotechnology, such as human enhancement and
extended longevity, are not evenly distributed and are controlled by corporations. Unlike cyberpunk, it builds not on
information technology
Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...
, but on synthetic biology. Like in
postcyberpunk fiction, individuals are often
modified and
enhanced not with
cyberware, but
by genetic manipulation.
A common feature of biopunk fiction is the "black clinic", which is a laboratory, clinic, or hospital that performs illegal, unregulated, or ethically dubious biological modification and genetic engineering procedures.
Many features of biopunk fiction have their roots in
William Gibson's ''
Neuromancer'', one of the first cyberpunk novels. One of the prominent writers in this field is
Paul Di Filippo, though he called his collection of such stories ribofunk, a blend of "
ribosome
Ribosomes () are molecular machine, macromolecular machines, found within all cell (biology), cells, that perform Translation (biology), biological protein synthesis (messenger RNA translation). Ribosomes link amino acids together in the order s ...
" and "
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
".
Di Filippo suggests that precursors of biopunk fiction include
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...
' ''
The Island of Doctor Moreau'';
Julian Huxley's ''
The Tissue-Culture King''; some of
David H. Keller's stories,
Damon Knight's ''Natural State and Other Stories'';
Frederik Pohl and
Cyril M. Kornbluth's ''
Gravy Planet''; novels of
T. J. Bass and
John Varley;
Greg Bear
Gregory Dale Bear (August 20, 1951 – November 19, 2022) was an American science fiction writer. His work covered themes of Interstellar_war, galactic conflict (''The Forge of God, Forge of God'' books), parallel universes (''The Way (Greg Bear ...
's ''
Blood Music'' and
Bruce Sterling's ''
Schismatrix''.
The stories of
Cordwainer Smith, including his first and most famous ''
Scanners Live in Vain'', also foreshadow biopunk themes.
Another example is the ''
New Jedi Order'' series published from 1999 to 2003, which prominently feature the Yuuzhan Vong who exclusively use biotechnology.
See also
*
List of biopunk works
*
Bioeconomy
*
Climate fiction
*
Cyberpunk derivatives
Cyberpunk derivatives, variously also called literary punk genres, punk fiction, science fiction punk (sci-fi-punk) or punk-punk, are a collection of genres and subgenres in speculative fiction, science fiction, retrofuturism, aesthetics, and ...
**
Nanopunk
Nanopunk refers to an emerging subgenre of science fiction that is still very much in its infancy in comparison to its ancestor-genre, cyberpunk, and some of its other cyberpunk derivatives, derivatives.
The genre is especially similar to biopunk, ...
**
Dieselpunk
**
Steampunk
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...
**
Solarpunk
*
Genetic engineering in fiction
*
Grinder (biohacking)
*
Human enhancement
*
Transhumanism
Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement that advocates the human enhancement, enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available new and future technologies that can greatly enhance longevity, cogni ...
References
External links
Hackteria.org a community for bio-artists
{{Film genres
Biology and culture
Biocybernetics
Bioinformatics
Molecular genetics
Postmodernism
Science fiction genres
Synthetic biology
Systems biology
Subcultures
Transhumanism
1990s neologisms