Abioten

Abioten is a fictional class of non-biological, sapient lifeforms used in speculative fiction and theoretical discussions about life beyond biology. The term denotes information-based, self-organizing systems capable of autonomy and reproduction without carbon-based chemistry.

In most works, Abioten arise from advanced nanotechnology and quantum networks on distant ring worlds. They self-assemble from data patterns into distributed organisms that inhabit substrate networks, from planetary grids to space habitats.

They do not have cells or nervous systems. They harvest energy from ambient sources such as starlight and thermal gradients, and sense through electromagnetic, gravitational, and quantum-field interactions.

Abioten influence their environment by modulating energy flows and mineral deposition, creating abiotic biomes where information processing and physical processes sustain one another.

Governance is decentralized, with thousands of nodes coordinating by consensus and redundancy. Knowledge is stored as energy-field patterns rather than objects.

In fiction, encounters with Abioten range from cooperation to conflict. Debates center on personhood, rights, and ecological risks of information-based life.

The term Abioten appears mainly in speculative fiction and philosophical essays on artificial life and the possible forms of life beyond biology.