After talking with my daughter I saw Gattica again the other night and the hero with "recessive traits". Later started working on an adventure with Romeo and Juliet overtones (a Flat and a Splicer falling in love). This got me thinking about children (should the lovers survive) in EP.
I am a Flat who has raised Flat children from conception to adulthood so I know the process for Flats, more or less. I read the issues concerning The Lost and accelerated growth, and about uplifts with their concerns of how their children are raised and socialized. Children and teens exist (EP p. 47 and others). So this got me thinking about the whole process. For this I would ask discussion to be limited to flats, splicers, and exalts in the general population, as they are the most prevalent. That can form a baseline on some of the larger societies like on Mars. Given the "wonders" of the science in EP, it may be scientifically possible for many things, but is it practical societally and is it done?
Candidates:
If Splicers are just Flats with a cleaned up genome (and the mods, inserts and the stack), are children possible between the two types of morphs? Should be I would think as at least the stack and inserts are not organic or part of the DNA. In such a union could genetic defects be reintroduced even as recessive traits lurking, though not expressed until generations later, assuming transhumanity survives long enough in EP? Same question here with Exalts in combination with other morphs?
Conception:
"With basic biomods providing contraception and protections from STDs" (EP p.46)
So old fashoned reproduction is still possible then, yes? Or do/can all prospective parents go to a medcenter, register their DNA, see what is possible and make selection choices ("Well, we would like our child to be male, 172 cm when fully grown, have a predisposition or talent for music...")? With the same or differing morph types?
Add-ons:
Basic Biomods, Basic Mesh Inserts and the Cortical Stack. When are these inserted? Biomods sound like they come with conception or fetal development. No mention is made of the volume of the Inserts, but the Cortical Stack is the size of a grape (EP p.300). Once it is in, it cannot be removed without killing or crippling the morph. It is not organic, per se, and may be put in by nanobots somehow, but when? There is a point when the stack is larger than the fetus. After birth do these get in the way? Cortical stack impacting neck muscles in the development of babies and such came to mind. Not necessarily mass, but the volume. The stack's nanobots sound like it can adapt to brain growth/development so that might not be an issue.
Fetal Growth/Gestation:
Is the fetus carried to term? Are exowombs available (I forgot)? Is/can the fetus quick-grown to self-sustaining out of womb baby without physical development issues? (Again, thinking of The Lost in comparison)
Children and Legal issues:
Regardless of when the inserts are put in, newborns don't have the synaptic connections or experience to communicate in an adult manner. The muse might help, but that is not the same as the infant itself doing the communicating. At what point might an infant/child/teen be considered a responsible member of society, subject to the laws of a habitat?
Good Example: When could a child start inserting into another morph (assuming a rich or hi rep parent), or do children always have to work with their own rep and resources?
Bad Example: Kid with rich/hi rep parents saying "Daddy, I want to insert into a Fenrir. Huh, huh, can I? Can I?" Somehow they do and cause some mayhem. Who is responsible for the resultant mess?
Finally what might be the stats for a child ego and morph if they are not fully developed adults?
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