ADAM (BioShock)
ADAM is a substance that features in BioShock.
Contents |
History
ADAM was a chemical substance that was present within Sea Slugs on Earth. During the construction of Rapture, dock workers were beaten by a slug that healed their long-crippled hands leading to the discovery by Brigid Tenenbaum. While observing the local marine wildlife, Tenenbaum noted that an exotic species of deep-sea sea slug generated a unique biological compound capable of completely overwrote human cellular architecture. The substance possessed the immediate capability to heal damaged tissue, replace degraded cells, and restructure human DNA to unlock extraordinary physical and elemental capabilities. Recognizing the immense corporate utility of the asset, the industrialist Andrew Ryan financed the mass cultivation of the substance, establishing a specialized industrial pipeline within the underwater metropolis of Rapture to commercialize the stem cells into consumer-grade genetic modifications known as Plasmids and Tonics.
The severe physical and behavioral consequences of a total lack of stabilizing agents within the mass-produced chemical asset manifested as the civilian population developed an acute, irreversible biological dependence on the drug. The continuous, daily consumption of ADAM over a prolonged period permanently corrupted the users' nervous systems, inducing a severe state of toxic addiction, physical degeneration, and acute psychological madness. The chemically warped citizens, now classified as Splicers, suffered complete mental degradation, turning violently on one another to slaughter and harvest the remaining residual stem cells from each other's bodies. This widespread biological catastrophe completely shattered the social infrastructure of Rapture, transforming the pristine underwater utopia into a chaotic, flooded battlefield driven entirely by the primal need to acquire the substance.
Overview
In appearance, ADAM was a viscous, green liquid in its raw form that was harvested from a special type of Sea Slug. It was then processed and refined into a usable product creating a serum known as a Plasmid that was capable of altering genetic material. Plasmids were then configured to create special body tissue that granted access to abilities and functions that would not normally be present in the human body.
ADAM did this by supporting the formation of potent stem cells that had the ability to differentiate into any cell type, including a variety of unnatural ones. This type of cell formation was compared to a benign form of cancer as the chemical slowly destroyed native tissue cells and replaced them with unstable stem versions. This very instability was the source of the chemicals amazing properties but also caused cosmetic and mental damage.
Members
- Subject Delta :
- Jack :
Notes
- ADAM was created by Ken Levine where it featured in the setting of the BioShock universe.
Appearances
- BioShock:
- BioShock 2:
External Link
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