Of the species that were uplifted, some were done for art, others as projects of vanity and pique, playthings of a society drunk with its own power over life. But pound-for-pound, the majority of the species that were modified were done for banal purposes of service.
Hymenopteran insects were a point of particular interest, as understanding of the nature of swarm intelligence came to be better understood throughout the 21st and 22nd centuries. In light of both this knowledge and a revolution in genetic modification, the idea of directing swarms of hiving insects became too much to resist.
There were many independent origins for uplifted ants (with 'serve-ant' puns aplenty), though the modern term 'Maren' is regarded to have emerged as a loanword from Mandarin 'Mǎyǐ rén'. Many of these organisms were designed with with cybernetic interfaces, to allow for their control and direction by human masters. They were engineered in myriad shapes and sizes, for different purposes: maintenance, cleaning, construction and the like. While each individual is seemingly mindless, swarm intelligence interfaces allow for subtle hormonal and behavioural controls which allow for the enaction of complex orders and directions. Feedback systems allow for the emergence of a shared will of the colony, which approximates an alien kind of collective sentience. Those who communicate with these systems often refer to the entity as the 'queen', although this is a misnomer: the actual queen of the colony is a birthing machine no more intelligent than any one of the drones.
Naturally, biohackers also found great interest in insect engineering, creating races of saboteurs, vandals, or fearsome roving bands. Bioengineering arms races saw most Maren equipped with countermeasures, which generally keep such rogue hives suppressed.
Short Form:
Engineered as cleaners and menial labourers, Maren are uplifted ants, possessing a diverse array of shapes and forms. They exist as self-perpetuating colonies, generally existing as uncomplaining, compliant and predictable servants. They are given orders through neural-hormonal interfaces, and have the ability to communicate with humans and other species through this technology. Of all the non-human minds that have been created by biotechnology, the Maren are doubtlessly the most alien.
Hymenopteran insects were a point of particular interest, as understanding of the nature of swarm intelligence came to be better understood throughout the 21st and 22nd centuries. In light of both this knowledge and a revolution in genetic modification, the idea of directing swarms of hiving insects became too much to resist.
There were many independent origins for uplifted ants (with 'serve-ant' puns aplenty), though the modern term 'Maren' is regarded to have emerged as a loanword from Mandarin 'Mǎyǐ rén'. Many of these organisms were designed with with cybernetic interfaces, to allow for their control and direction by human masters. They were engineered in myriad shapes and sizes, for different purposes: maintenance, cleaning, construction and the like. While each individual is seemingly mindless, swarm intelligence interfaces allow for subtle hormonal and behavioural controls which allow for the enaction of complex orders and directions. Feedback systems allow for the emergence of a shared will of the colony, which approximates an alien kind of collective sentience. Those who communicate with these systems often refer to the entity as the 'queen', although this is a misnomer: the actual queen of the colony is a birthing machine no more intelligent than any one of the drones.
Naturally, biohackers also found great interest in insect engineering, creating races of saboteurs, vandals, or fearsome roving bands. Bioengineering arms races saw most Maren equipped with countermeasures, which generally keep such rogue hives suppressed.
Short Form:
Engineered as cleaners and menial labourers, Maren are uplifted ants, possessing a diverse array of shapes and forms. They exist as self-perpetuating colonies, generally existing as uncomplaining, compliant and predictable servants. They are given orders through neural-hormonal interfaces, and have the ability to communicate with humans and other species through this technology. Of all the non-human minds that have been created by biotechnology, the Maren are doubtlessly the most alien.
