Nanopunk refers to an emerging subgenre 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 is still very much in its infancy in comparison to its ancestor-genre,

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 ...

, and some of its other derivatives. The genre is especially similar to

biopunk Biopunk (a portmanteau of "biotechnology" or "biology" and " punk") is a subgenre of science fiction that focuses on biotechnology. It is derived from cyberpunk, but focuses on the implications of biotechnology rather than mechanical cyberware ...

, but describes a world where

nanites Molecular machines are a class of molecules typically described as an assembly of a discrete number of molecular components intended to produce mechanical movements in response to specific stimuli, mimicking macromolecular devices such as switche ...

and bio-nanotechnologies are widely in use and

nanotechnologies Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propert ...

are the predominant technological forces in society. The genre is mainly concerned with the artistic, psychological, and

societal A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soc ...

impact of nanotechnology, rather than aspects of the technology which itself is still in its infancy. Unlike cyberpunk, which can be distinguished by a gritty and low-life yet technologically advanced character, nanopunk can have a darker

dystopian A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmenta ...

character that might examine potential risks by nanotechnology as well as a more optimistic outlook that might emphasize potential uses of nanotechnology.

Comics

* '' M. Rex'' (1999) features nanites as the source of power for the title character. * ''

Scooby Apocalypse ''Scooby Apocalypse'' is a monthly comic book series, published by DC Comics, which began in May 2016. It re-imagines the characters from the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise, particularly the 1969 TV series ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'', setting them i ...

'' (2016–2019) reveals early on that a nanite virus originating from Velma's 'Elysium Project' experiment is the reason behind people becoming monsters.

Literature

Kathleen Ann Goonan Kathleen Ann Goonan (May 14, 1952 – January 28, 2021)Kathleen Ann Goonan (1952–2021)

(''Queen City Jazz'' – 1997) and

Linda Nagata Linda Nagata (born November 7, 1960, in San Diego, California) is a Hawaii-based American author of speculative fiction, science fiction, and fantasy novels, novellas, and short stories. Her novella ''Goddesses'' was the first online publication ...

were some of the earliest writers to feature nanotech as the primary element in their work. *

Neal Stephenson Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and baroque. Stephenson's work explores mathemati ...

's ''

The Diamond Age ''The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Neal Stephenson. It is to some extent a Bildungsroman or coming-of-age story, focused on a young girl named Nell, set in a future world in wh ...

'' is a coming of age story, set in a future in which nanotechnology affects all aspects of life. * Some novels of

Stanislaw Lem Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, Kherson Oblast, a coastal village in Ukraine * Stanislaus County, ...

, including ''Weapon System of the Twenty First Century or The Upside-down Evolution'', ''

The Invincible ''The Invincible'' () is a hard science fiction novel by Polish writer Stanisław Lem, serialized in ''Gazeta Bialostocka'' in 1963 and published as a book in 1964. * In 1991, Swedish author Kerstin Ekman created an educational computer game t ...

'' and '' Peace on Earth'' as well as

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'' could also be considered precursors of nanopunk. *

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author, screenwriter and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavil ...

novel ''

Prey Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not ki ...

'' (2002). Another of Crichton's novels, ''

Micro Micro may refer to: Measurement * micro- (μ), a metric prefix denoting a factor of 10−6 Places * Micro, North Carolina, town in U.S. People * DJ Micro, (born Michael Marsicano) an American trance DJ and producer * Chii Tomiya (都宮 � ...

'' (2011), could also be an example, but it focuses more on the idea of size-manipulation and shrinking of objects rather than nanotechnology. *

Nathan McGrath Nathan or Natan may refer to: People and biblical figures *Nathan (given name) Nathan is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Hebrew verb meaning ''gave'' (Hebrew language, standard Hebrew Natan, Yiddish Nussen/Nosson, Tiberian Hebr ...

's ''Nanopunk'' (2013) is set in an icebound near-future where almost half the world's population has been wiped out. Alister, a child when "The Big Freeze" began is now a teenager in a society slowly finding its feet. Unaware of his nano-infection he sets out to find his lost sister and is joined by Suzie, a militant cyber-activist. Their hacking attracts the attention of Secret Services and a ruthless private military corporation and their search becomes a deadly race for survival. * Linda Nagata's ''Tech Heaven'' (1995) is a futuristic thriller about Katie, a woman whose husband is about to die of injuries sustained in a helicopter crash. Instead of dying, he gets his body

cryogenically In physics, cryogenics is the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures. The 13th International Institute of Refrigeration's (IIR) International Congress of Refrigeration (held in Washington, DC in 1971) endorsed a universa ...

preserved so that he can be reawakened when med-tech is advanced enough to heal him. The problem is that it winds up taking far more than the estimated few years for this to happen. *

Alastair Reynolds Alastair Preston Reynolds (born 13 March 1966) is a Welsh science fiction author. He specialises in hard science fiction and space opera. Early life Reynolds was born in Wales and spent his early years in Cornwall before moving back to Wales, ...

' ''

Chasm City ''Chasm City'' is a 2001 science fiction novel by British writer Alastair Reynolds, set in the ''Revelation Space'' universe. It deals with themes of identity, memory, and immortality, and many of its scenes are concerned primarily with describ ...

'' could also be considered nanopunk.

Film and television

Film

Faction (2020 Film)
* ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' (1989 film) * ''Osmosis Jones'' (2001 film) * ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (2008 film) * ''G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' (2009 film) * ''Transcendence'' (2014 film) * ''Ant-Man'' (2015 film)

Television

* ''

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1 ...

'', "

Parasites Lost "Parasites Lost" is the second episode in the third season of the American animated television series ''Futurama'', and the 34th episode of the series overall. Although the title is a play on John Milton's epic poem ''Paradise Lost'', the episo ...

" (2001) - Fry is infected by parasites that increase his intelligence and health, but ultimately chooses to get rid of them with miniature droids. * ''

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

'', "Tabula Rasa" (2003) - The villain,

Amazo Amazo is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky and first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #30 (June 1960) as an adversary of the Justice League of ...

, is an android composed of nanites that allow him to mimic abilities. * ''

Static Shock ''Static Shock'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the WB Television Network's Kids' WB programming block. ''Static Shock'' ran ...

'', "Hoop Squad" (2004) - The villain, Dr. Odium, is a scientist specializing in nanotechnology who was fired for attempting to experiment on humans. * ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'', "

The Doctor Dances "The Doctor Dances" is the tenth episode of the first series of the revival of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 28 May 2005. It is the second of a two-part story, following t ...

" (2005) - Two ships seen in the episode contain nanogenes that can heal wounds. * ''

Generator Rex ''Generator Rex'' is an American animated superhero television series created by Man of Action for Cartoon Network, with John Fang of Cartoon Network Studios as supervising producer. It is based on the comic '' M. Rex'', created by Aaron Sowd, ...

'' (2010–2013) - Nanites are central to the premise of the series, in which an accident caused them to spread across the world and infect almost all life. Protagonist Rex Salazar is able to control his own nanites and cure the mutations caused by them, and thus works for the government agency Providence, battling nanite mutants (called E.V.O.S).

Video games

* ''

Anarchy Online ''Anarchy Online'' is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) published and developed by Norwegian video game development company Funcom. Released in June 2001, the game was the first in the genre to include a science-fiction s ...

'' (2001) * ''

Crysis ''Crysis'' is a first-person shooter video game series created by Crytek. The series revolves around a group of military protagonists with " nanosuits", technologically advanced suits of armor that give them enhanced physical strength, speed, ...

'' (2007–2013) * ''

Deus Ex ''Deus Ex'' is a series of cyberpunk role-playing video games, set during the mid 21st century. Focusing on the conflict between secretive factions who wish to control the world by proxy, and the effects of transhumanistic attitudes and technol ...

'' (2000) * ''Metal Gear Solid'' series * '' Supreme Ruler 2020'' (2008) * ''

Red Faction ''Red Faction'' is a series of shooter video games developed by Volition and owned by Plaion. Originating in 2001, the ''Red Faction'' games have spanned Microsoft Windows, macOS and consoles, including the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Play ...

'' (2001)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Punk Cyberpunk subgenres Postcyberpunk Biopunk * Nano 2000s neologisms