The Bioshock series introduced players to two compelling worlds: Rapture, the underwater city inspired by Ayn Rand's objectivism; and Columbia, a floating city that illustrated the dangers of American nationalism. The games have become iconic for the big plot twist in the first game, their theme of the futility in trying to create a perfect world, and the "Big Daddies" encountered throughout. But at the core of all three games is one thing: a strange substance called "ADAM."
ADAM is crucial to both Bioshock and Bioshock 2. Both require the player to obtain it to gain powers that help them survive. It returns in Bioshock Infinite, where it has become a major part of Columbia's economy. Its unique ability to alter DNA may seem appealing at first, but it is also dangerous. For all the good and bad it can do, one thing is clear: everyone wants it.
Background: Sea Slugs
Origins
The substance now known as "ADAM" comes from a rare species of sea slug that was unknown to science before Rapture was established. Not much is known about the sea slugs, but they apparently gain the ability to generate ADAM from a strange underwater phenomenon referred to as "luminescent biomass." Not much is known about this occurrence, beyond its ability to produce spectacular light that can be seen in some parts of Rapture. If it is what mutated the slugs to produce ADAM, the luminescent biomass might be its source.
Discovery
The earliest known human contact with any of the sea slugs occurred when one bit a dockworker in Rapture, who had previously lost the use of his hand to a serious injury. Shortly after being bitten by the slug, his hand unexpectedly recovered. The strange occurrence got the attention of one of Rapture's scientists, Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum. When she spoke to the dockworker, he still had the sea slug, giving Tenenbaum a lead to begin her research.
Studying the slugs revealed that they naturally produced a substance with unusual properties. Not only could the peculiar substance heal, but it also proved to be capable of altering a person's genetic makeup. Realizing that this substance was the key to rewriting DNA opened up a world of possibilities. As Tenenbaum notes, there was significant potential for medical use.
Commercialization
In Rapture
The discovery of ADAM was quickly seen as a business opportunity. The substance was marketed as "evolution in a bottle," a substance that allowed a person to change their own body as they desired. A person could, for instance, make themselves more attractive, change sexes, or heal scars. It was also seen as a way to improve the body by making it stronger. Dr. Steinman, a plastic surgeon, saw the potential to turn the human body into an artistic canvas, thinking he could use ADAM to produce the most beautiful people.
Demand for ADAM was exacerbated by the outbreak of Rapture's Civil War. This resulted not only in the production of more dangerous plasmids, but also a more aggressive marketing campaign to push Rapture's citizens into using ADAM to help one side or the other. The abilities that could come from ADAM were weaponized, and citizens were turned into soldiers.
In Columbia
When Jeremiah Fink discovered ADAM, he saw its potential as a marketable drug to Columbia's residents. He advertised it as a way to improve quality of life, by highlighting domestic or industrial applications. While some of these were mundane things, it did include some less-than-ethical practices. For instance, the "possession" vigor was marketed as a drug men could use to brainwash women into loving them. He also marketed some vigors to the upper class as a "deterrent against hooligans"; self-defense products to keep the working class in line.
Effects on Children
When studying the sea slugs, Dr. Tenenbaum found that the amount of ADAM they could individually produce was limited. However, more ADAM could be produced if the slug was inserted into a human host. Children proved to be viable hosts because their bodies could adapt better to the slug's presence, but Tenenbaum was only able to perform the procedure on girls. Why only girls can handle the process is unclear, but this resulted in slugs producing significantly more ADAM. This research was the basis for the Little Sisters.
Unfortunately, ADAM has a much more negative impact on Little Sisters when they grow up. These individuals, known as "Big Sisters" develop much stronger powers than the average user. They have very little control over them, and become extremely aggressive.
Plasmids and Vigors
Once obtained, ADAM could be refined into a consumable product that could be sold to the general public under the guise of improving their bodies.
Plasmids
In Rapture, ADAM was usually sold as a sold as a "plasmid," a substance injected directly into the user's bloodstream. Once injected, the plasmid would take hold of the body and begin altering the user's genome. This could be an overwhelming and painful experience for first-time users. It may even be possible, though unconfirmed, that the overwhelming shock of the first plasmid injection could be lethal. This aspect is shown when Jack takes his first plasmid in Bioshock, which knocks him unconscious. Once the body has adjusted, the user will gain access to new abilities based on the plasmid's design.
Along with plasmids, a by-product of ADAM was also marketed as "EVE." This substance could be used to recharge the abilities produced by plasmids. In theory, this allows the human body to be improved, giving it access to powers it could not have developed naturally. In practice, though, it came with an assortment of problems.
Vigors
When Columbia's industrial tycoon Jeremiah Fink observed ADAM in Rapture, he quickly became interested in marketing the substance himself. However, obtaining a steady supply of sea slugs for a city in the sky proved difficult and necessitated a means of cutting costs. The result was a product he called "vigors."
Vigors worked similarly to plasmids, as they were able to alter a person's DNA to give them powers, but had some notable differences. The most obvious was that vigors were drinkable, rather than injected. They were also heavily watered down compared to plasmids.
Scarcity
One of the biggest problems that came from commercializing ADAM was obtaining enough of it to meet growing demand. Finding enough sea slugs to harvest sufficient quantities of ADAM proved easier said than done. The slugs on their own did not produce enough ADAM, and they were hard enough to find.
Rapture
The scientists at Rapture found two possible solutions to the problem. One was the Little Sisters, as described above. This process turned little girls into ADAM factories, and acted as the drug's primary source in Rapture. The second method was to recycle ADAM by harvesting it from the bodies of previous users, a task also given to the Little Sisters.
Columbia
ADAM was even more difficult for Jeremiah Fink to obtain, due to the high costs of sending underwater expeditions from a city in the sky. Obtaining the slugs was therefore even more difficult than in Rapture, and what he could get was rarely enough to market to Columbia's population. His approach was to find a way to save costs and make the ADAM he could get last longer. This led to watered-down, drinkable vigors.
Problematic Side Effects
Memories
While ADAM may have seemed like an incredible discovery, it turned out to come with unpleasant side effects . One notable detail is that ADAM can transfer memories between users. This can cause extreme disorientation, especially when used in excess, and has caused problems for some of Rapture's residents. One example was Stanley Poole, a mass murderer who wanted to prevent the harvesting of any ADAM that could contain memories exposing his crimes.
Unwanted Mutations
When ADAM alters the human body, it causes instability in a person's genome, which can only be resolved with more ADAM. This creates an obvious problem: ADAM is extremely addictive. The side effects vary, but it typically results in mental deterioration. In some instances, this results in the person becoming deranged, as in the case of Steinman or Sander Cohen. But the majority of cases see the user losing all capacity for reason, turning into confused husks of their former selves while their bodies become unrecognizable. They only know one goal: getting more ADAM by any means necessary. The end result is the splicers that appear throughout the games.