Chimp Donnie and "Category Three" experiments.

When I wrote Chimp Donnie into The Life After Life Conspiracy, I thought I was  going really far out onto the far side of what was likely to come about in the reasonable future.

As with a lot of the other elements in the book, reality is moving very fast, and what seemed far-out is now approaching. 

Now (July 2011) a group of scientists have developed a report proposing new rules on "humanising animals." (The scientists---not the humanised animals--- are mostly British, hence I'm using the British spelling.)

One of their areas of prime concern is "Category Three" experiments, which raise "very strong ethical concerns."  Dr. Doug Dalby --- who's one of the good guys in my book --- pushed the then-limits and did just that. Tsk, tsk, shame on him.  From whence came the story.

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Here's the link to one of several articles on that topic that came out in July 2011, most from British newspapers:

Independent, UK: "Experts warn over humanising apes"