One:Giller

Gillers (also known as Submariners, sometimes Deep Ones) are a Humanoid species (Homo mermanus) who have evolved to live in Earth's oceans.

Origins

Records of early Gillers are sparse and unreliable. Historians at the University of Chicago-Under-the-Sea speculate the first Giller was a man known as Gill-Ian Anderson. Anderson is believed to be the inventor of the Aqualung, a gene therapy sequence which allowed humans to grow gills that would enable them to breathe under water.

Society

Giller society is characterized by polarization between those who favor ties with the surface world and those who ally themselves more closely with the Cetaceans. These ties are largely economic, as Gillers are fairly isolationist, and only a few settle in non-Giller societies (see Demographics). However, this may be due to the largely nomadic tendencies of most gillers.

Due to their origins in genetic experimentation, Gillers have as little reservation about altering their genotypes as most sentient organics do their phenotypes. As such, there is a wide variation in the giller population. Common alterations are usually designed for adaptation to different undersea environmental conditions and concerns, such as temperature, depth, and predation. It remains to be seen whether over time, these changes will result in full-fledged Giller sub-species.

Giller scientists (the few who participate in the global research community) are considered the foremost experts in genetic manipulation.

References

• Humanoid species
• Homo mermanus
• The University of Chicago-Under-the-Sea
• Gene therapy
• Gills
• Cetaceans
• Chicago-Under-the-Sea (section: Demographics)
• Speciation
• Divergent evolution