Human (Man After Man)

The Humans or Man (Homo sapiens sapiens) is the main initiating species of the events of the book Man after Man , being the cause of a massive catastrophic extinction in the 23 century (200 years hence) and later the creation of genetically modified humans to fill the ecological gap in several ecosystems as well to guarantee the future of themselves.  In the history of the book, humanity is set as a creature that breaks with the cycle of adaptation and change that has made the environment, being able to modify this one thanks to their high inteligence and eventually developing civilization and changing the world depending its own comfort, exemption from the selection natural thanks to the knowledge and uses of the medical sciences, eventually modifying the bases of life itself by genetic modification, This would lead humanity to a breath of destruction with consequences that would affect the way of life as the development of the following human generations on a cultural, social and species level.

History

In the next 2 centuries after the 21th century, humanity would cause the complete destruction of all terrestrial and marine environments around the earth due of the constant contamination, overpopulation and overexploitation of natural resources for the generation of food, resulting in a total collapse leaving to millions living in the ruins of huge cities on a ruined planet trying to survive, while the still existing governments of the moment had launched a plan of last resort for the survival of the species through an interstellar colonization plan, which consist of hundreds of humans migrating to other habitable planets in huge generational ships, these putting resources in the collection of fuel underwater or in the gaseous giants and the construction of the great starships in space, using genetically modified humans for the construction and assembly.

A couple of centuries after the great schism and collapse of modern civilization, humans survived the destruction although suffering a drastic reduction in their population while the planet quickly recovered. Eventually a group of these with their total dependence on the machinery to survive would eventually become the Hitek, human beings of degraded bodies which would need artificial systems to live. Humans who wouldn't have become Hitek live next to them as workers, however many would abandon this mode of sustenance and return to humble life depending on what the environments can offer, adopting rural lifestyles, becoming the Andlans. Around 500 years after our era, the Hitek experimented with the genetic diversity of the Andlans for the development of the posthuman species that would inhabit the different environments of the earth trying to give balance to the empty planet. With the passage of time and due to the deficiency of the mechanical cradles, the Hitek lineage would change the machines for completely organic life supports, becoming the Tic.

1000 years hence, the inversion of magnetic fields would seriously affect the communication systems, transport as well as other technological devices leaving isolated installations and comunities disconnected and nonfunctional, at the same time it would cause an increase in solar radiation that would cause carcinogenic diseases. This alongside with the cooling of the planet that would cause changes in weather patterns that would affect the amount of food for rural populations would cause the degradation of humanity in both sides, and its eventual extinction.

Variants and Subspecies

Throughout the story we see a divergence of humanity in its attempt to survive, with different groups formed by certain human beings who continue with a specific lifestyle.

Space travelers

Jimez Smoot

These are the "lucky" human beings which would leave the earth in the possibility of finding new worlds to colonize and rebuild civilization, being these chosen for the colony project of the stars, based on the richness of their genetic pool which should It must be the most perfect possible. This colonization project consists of the construction of several starships, 37 in total, which would go on a one-way trip to colonize other worlds as a last resort to save human civilization with the most "perfect" human specimens, however, this would not have guarantee that those who start the trip arrive alive due to the fact that the travel will take centuries to reach their destinations due to the long distance as they travel at 17% of speed of light, besides the possibility that these ships and their crew may fail the colonization process.

Although it is not described directly, it is obvious that some of these ships would reach their destinations and they would establish, thrive, and evolve according to new conditions using genetic engineering to adapt, becoming eventually in the travelers of the stars that would come to earth 5 million years later.

Notable members

• Jimez Smoot: he briefly describes the circumstances that led humanity to the situation where it is as was chosen to make the trip while he's on his way to a starship.

Squatty

Kyshu Kristaan

These make up the general population which lives among the rubble of decayed and polluted cities during the great collapse of civilization humanity in 200 years. The poverty and the savagery are predominant in the day to day of these since with the resources and foods almost nonexistent and the predominant anarchy in a destroyed society, they are only able to survive of which they can find, having to fight or kill anyone in their path.

Notable members

• Kyshu Kristaan: an adult male, father, tries to find food to feed his family while avoiding confrontation with other individuals, describes his contempt for his situation as the government on land for abandoning the population and devote himself to the creation of posthuman creatures mentioning them as "monsters", as for the human beings who are in the stellar migration project, calling them "weak"
• Seralia Kristaan: Wife of Kyshu, and mother of 7 children.

Handlers

These are the humans that live in the Hitek facilities around 300 years hence, being in most cases assistants in the maintenance functions of facilities such as machinery and even the processes of the life support of the Hitek. These do not have any major technological implementation in their bodies other than recognition chips.

Andlans, fishermen and growers

The humans who abandoned technological development and who returned to the humblest and most natural roots around 500 years hence, these would be the new human population that would emerge after the fall of contemporary civilization, inhabiting small towns and communities that do not exceed the hundreds of individuals irrigated throughout the wild territories. These are mainly dedicated to agriculture and fishing, as to beekeeping, not possessing more technological development than simple tools.

Notable members

• Fiffe Floria: she is one of several members of the small communities watered through valleys of her region, dedicated to cultivation, in her chapter she has a monologue about the unnatural and sick of the existence of the Hitek.
• Hamstrom: Fiffe's husband
• Harla: Fiffe's daughter

Mechanical Hitek (Homo sapiens machinadiumentum)

This human subspecies diverged from H. s. sapiens around 300 years hence for its almost total dependence on technological means to provide vital support to its fragile and atrophied bodies that vary in the degree of degradation depending on the individual, this by means of mechanical "cradles", structures such as a box with a window where the head protrudes from the inside, while the body is kept suspended inside by means of harnesses and hydraulic arms. The cradle is connected to a huge crane with the central life support machine in the back, which moves by means of levitation thanks to magnetism. Socially even presenting several human characteristics and emotions, although these are able to regulate them artificially by means of different compounds, however several of them show dislike towards original humans considering them as unsophisticated or primitive, only being tolerated for their versatility and ability to maintain the machinery.
They live inside huge facilities, some of which are dedicated to the cultivation of synthetic foods, being driven by solar energy or the ocean thanks to huge underwater turbines and mobilized using large flying vehicles.

Notable members

• Haron Solto: a worker of the protein factories, he exposes a bit of his way of life and daily acts including the way he regulates his artificial systems, how he feeds and works, as the interaction with his environment and human beings base , marking them as "primitives".

• Greerath Hulm: she is concerned about the future of humanity and her destiny as a species after the failure of a food generator that she monitored, which led many Handlers to cause a revolt that would end in deaths, it reflects the potential of the species should not be limited on machines and that genetic engineering could offer a future for humanity.

• Hueh Chuum: this Hitek tried to uncouple from his mechanical cradle to have physical contact with his partner Bearnida, for which he spent time preparing for this encounter, in this fragile and degraded sample they have become their original bodies which are incapable of Stay without the mechanical equipment because after a few moments you begin to feel the pain and discomfort and quickly return to this cradle.

• Bearnida: Hitek woman and in love with Hueh, she would also try to make the act of contact out of her mechanical cradle for a brief period, although this would show more resistance than her partner.

• Kule Taaran: responsible for transporting and releasing the first forest dweller, Pann.

• Relia Hoolann: she is a genetic engineering Hitek, being quite opposed to the idea of ​​modifying Andlans in wild creatures, dedicating her work in the creation of an organic cultural cradle which could ensure the future of humanity in the state in which it is, cultivating and developing artificial organs, this laying the foundations for the appearance of  the Tic.

• Carahudru: this transports and releases the first Woodland Dweller.

Tic (Homo sapiens accessiomembrum)

Subspecies descendant of the Hitek that appeared between 500 to 1000 years hence, these voluminous and amorphous beings are the final result of the attempt to maintain artificially atrophied living bodies without the need of machinery, for this they created the "cultural cradle", a completely organic system, which externally has a grotesque aspect, being enormous bags of flesh and fat that lodge in their interior several organs and a withered human body of which only it conserves intact its face and functional sensory organs, excelling of this a number of legs and arms that vary in amount depending on the individual aesthetic selection. They are able to control machinery by telepathic control, just by touching the device and with their mind giving the order. Not much is known about their cultural form and it can only be inferred that they were the same as their Hitek predecessors. When its civilization began to collapse, they presented violent behaviors between one and another, even killing their peers in violent fights due to the desperation to survive, assaulting facilities and succumbing to panic.

Notable members

• Klimasen: this tic dedicated to the transport of provisions was unable to control the ship in which it flew because it went out of its course established by the change of the magnetic poles that altered their navigation systems, which leads to a imminent collision with the ocean and his death.
• Yamo: inspector of the machinery that repairs the devices that check and keep working the food generators, this had severe problems to control his installation due to the lack of solar energy caused by the constant cloudiness of its region related to the global cooling, which would lead the machinery to fail. At the time of going to collect his artificial food this is assaulted by another tic which violently breaks down his cultural cradle being Yamo murdered.
• Durian Skeel: this individual foresaw what would be the end of humanity due to the reversal of the planet's magnetic fields and their effects. Despite having warned about the disaster, they did not listen, leaving the tic with the satisfaction that only he foresaw the final collapse of civilization, dying quietly by disconnecting his vital systems.