In a short story by Ian McEwan, "Reflections of a Kept Ape", a woman takes a pet chimpanzee as her lover. Although truth is often stranger than fiction, a study published this week by scientist in America demonstrates that both can be pretty odd. The research concludes that humans and chimpanzees interbred after the two species first separated, before eventuallygoing their different ways some 5.4 m years ago. Humans are thus much more recently related to their closest relatives than was previously thought. (in The Economist, May 20th-26th, 2006)

A ter algum fundamento, isto pode significar que todos aqueles que maltratam os chimpanzés, usando-os como cobaias em experiência cruéis ou condenando-os a uma pena de prisão perpétua, cumprida em circos ou outro tipo de espectáculos de rua, estão na prática a maltratar o seu tetra-tetra-tetra-...-tetra-avô. Infelizmente, não tenho a certeza de que esta nova perspectiva sobre a questão pudesse vir a fazer alguma diferença...