Technology of Sidonia

Given the centuries that have passed since the Sidonia slipped away from the Solar System, technology has improved substantially.

Immortality

It is now possible to become practically immortal through the use of artificial medicines and treatments. Though this is uncommon, several main members of the population, called the Immortal Ship Committee, have been granted immortality. At the time of the main storyline, the committee has lived at least 600 years. Nagate Tanikaze was manipulated at a genetic level and born immortal and wouldn't need to continually take the immortality drugs to stay immortal.

Importantly, while immortality grants an increased healing speed and safety from aging (and possibly from disease), it is still quite possible to die in combat or due to massive injury.

Heigus Particles

Much of the high technology is powered by Heigus Particles. These "Heigus Particles" exist naturally throughout the universe, and are picked up through collection mirrors or through Sidonia's collectors.

Genetics

Sidonia's engineers and scientists show a deep understanding of genetics and genetic engineering. After the death of 99% of Sidonia's population, the population was brought back up to a level of 500,000 through a combination of cloning and artificial embryos. To address the lack of food manufacturing capabilities, these new citizens had the ability to photosynthesize spliced into their genome, reducing the need to eat to once per week.

Hermaphrodite or Third Gender

Having the ability to become either male or female after finding a mate. Exactly how they came to be this way is not clear. They were presumably engineered to offset some sort of gender number imbalance.

Photosynthesis

People of Sidonia are given the plant-like ability to photosynthesize energy for their body using light. This process allows them to survive on rations that would starve a normal person to death. Even though the process has given them plant like qualities, they are still humans and thus still need some food for sustenance. However, they eat much less compared to an unaltered human; where an unaltered human needs three square meals a day, a Sidonian only needs one per week. Sometimes, they have small snacks like candies, apples or sweets at celebrations, showing that they can still eat besides the required minimum. This technology was developed out of necessity, as the ship couldn't spare enough space in order to grow food for everyone on board.

Gravity Generation

Through an unknown method, Sidonia has the ability to generate gravity. This is primarily used to maintain gravity when Sidonia is coasting through space at a substantial fraction of the speed of light. This technology is limited, however, since it can be immediately and drastically affected by the main engines firing, or sudden maneuvers made by Sidonia.