How to sustain human life under inhabitable conditions.

While the colony is still underway, nature has been suspended in many ways. The colony can choose to restore some or all of this, presumably when there is room and opportunity for it. However, that day seems farther and farther away, and some have begun arguing for reversals sooner.

The suspensions mean that colonists neither drink, nor eat, nor sleep as modern day people do. When toxic levels in the body attain annoying or problematic levels or when nutrition is needed, a colonist will return to their floatbed for a physical and mental recharge. There is no coordinated sleep cycles, giving the tower a feel of restless activity at all times of the day.

The colony has no children and no families as we know them. The ability to procreate has been put to sleep, along with the digestive systems. New colonists are speed-grown and speed-taught in floatbeds, which comes sliding out to deposit a young adult with impressive skills and knowledge in the world after just 2 years. As for family life most colonists feel the need of a basic social unit and join a ring. Rings are good for support, sharing mindsets and feeling less disconnected in a huge, milling society.

There are no old people either. Most colonists appear stuck somewhere between 18 and 45. This is due to the floatbed treatments, which keep aging damages in check. Humans have only been alive and awake on Da Vinci for 120 years, and virulent diseases or accidents are still the main cause of death.

The population is still split into men and women and cover many different shapes, sizes and skin colours. While more extreme physical changes or adaptations were discussed, the designers back on Earth strongly wanted to keep human diversity and appearance. A minority of colonists challenge this decision and want to investigate more fundamental changes to the human genome, in order to better fit Da Vinci.