xenogenesisis

Xenogenesisis is a term that is sometimes used to refer to xenogenesis—the origin of offspring that carry foreign or alien ancestry. The form xenogenesisis is not standard in biology, and most scientific references use xenogenesis (or xenogeny) without the -is ending. In practice, the phrase often appears in speculative, literary, or interdisciplinary discussions rather than in formal scientific taxonomy.

In biology, cross-species reproduction is generally described as hybridization. Offspring resulting from mating between different species can be viable and fertile in some lineages, especially among plants or closely related animals, but in many cases hybrids are sterile due to chromosomal differences. The term xenogenesis is sometimes invoked to discuss such events, yet scientists typically distinguish between natural hybridization and engineered or fictional scenarios, acknowledging substantial reproductive barriers that limit gene flow between most species.

Culturally, xenogenesis has a notable presence in science fiction. It is central to Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis trilogy, later reissued as Lilith’s Brood, which explores human-alien interbreeding and the emergence of hybrid identities. Because xenogenesisis is not a widely adopted scientific term, discussions of the concept tend to appear primarily in speculative fiction, philosophy, and theoretical biology rather than in experimental literature. Related topics include xenogenesis, xenobiology, and xenotransplantation.