Kryptonians

Due to convergent evolution, Kryptonians were near-exact genetic duplicates of Terran humans. Owing to the greater age of their race, Kryptonians were further along the evolutionary path; they lacked the body hair and toenails of their Terran cousins, and their physiques were more robust, with a powerful immune system and healing factor enabling an average lifespan exceeding 200 years. They also possessed charcoal skin tones, an adaptation enabling them to withstand the ultraviolet radiation of their red dwarf sun.

Kryptonian society was completely egalitarian. With rare exception, sons were born into the houses of their fathers, daughters into the houses of their mothers. Though a sexual race, Kryptonians relied on artificial "birthing matrices" to reproduce; natural gestation/birth was considered an inefficient primitive practice and was almost unheard of by the time of their demise.

Genetically bound to their planet, the population of Krypton could not relocate en masse to Earth in the face of their world's destruction. Instead, they created 144,000 genetically modified embryoes, tailored to enhance their resemblance to Terrans and grant them abilities which would make them living gods on Earth. Of these 144,000 "new" Kryptonians, only a handful survived to make it to their new colony and grow to maturity. Among them was Kal-El, biological son of Jor-El, scientist, and Lara-Van, librarian.