Xenosplice
A xenosplice, sometimes called a xenosyn, is a Terragen sophont or clade of sophonts that incorporates non-terragen hereditary material, typically that of a xenosophont species or a xenoprovolve clade, or else vice-versa: a xenoprovolve or xenosophont with aspects of Terragen genome. Such splices are not accomplished by a true merging of what are often highly incompatible systems of heredity, but are a careful neogenic synthesis either on Terragen-style genes or on xenobiont genes. This is a very diverse group, often derived from individuals or cultures with a great love of experimentation and novelty; even members of the same clade or population may differ greatly. There are perhaps a hundred trillion xenosplices in the Terragen Sphere.
- Pantropy - Text by Steve Bowers
The practice of adapting humans (and other bionts) to live comfortably in a planetary environment rather than attempting to change that environment to resemble the home world.
- Splice - Text by Stephen Inniss
A gengineered organism with visible traits of two or more natural species.
- To'ul'human - Text by Steve Bowers
Homorph To'ul'h who have been given or adopted human shape by advanced biotech. They also can take To'ul'h form in earthlike environments or adapted human form in toulovenusian environments.
- Xenobiont - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Generic term for alien (non-terragen) lifeform. May be animal-like, plant-like, protistan, exotic chemistry, or any other possibility. Does not have to be sophont. In fact just as on Earth, very few alien species ever evolve any measure of cognitive intelligence.