Bioreactors are an important technology, used in a wide variety of applications.  A bioreactor is essentially a self-contained habitat for microorganisms, feeding watering and sheltering them so they can perform some useful function.  Depending on the application, a bioreactor can be small enough to fit in a handheld device or large enough to fill a room. 

Depending on the organism and the nutrients fed into the bioreactor, it can do a number of useful things.  Bioreactors with specially engineered organisms can produce medicine, food, fuel, bio-plastics, and even building materials.   Bioreactors are used in the process of algal symbiosis.  Terra-forming operations also use this technology extensively, particularly in atmospheric conditioners and soil processors.

In space colonies, and on ships bioreactors growing algae recycle the air and water.  Many an astronaut has complained about the flavorless organic mush produced by a bioreactor for food when more appealing fare is in short supply.

Both Human and Cielioid -based civilizations make extensive use of this technology, as it is one of the gateway developments to serious space-fairing. One of the main manufacturers of bioreactors in human-controlled space is Cosmid, inc. one of the largest of the corporate states.  On Earth, bioreactors were first developed late in Era-0.