Many writers and musicians believe they can see their own efforts in the works of others, even when no one else can – a phenomenon dubbed projective plagiarism. This psychological illusion is driven by egocentrism and a belief in one’s own uniqueness. At the other extreme are cases in which individuals have plagiarized from the works of others without damage to their reputations. In some instances, this happens because they are held in such high esteem that charges of plagiarism don’t really stick – a phenomenon dubbed Teflon plagiarism. There is also unrepentant plagiarism – writers and musicians who have seemingly appropriated the works of others across their entire careers without apology. But what drives someone to plagiarize? The various excuses offered up by plagiarists are examined, as is the question of whether appropriation correlates with particular personality characteristics. And is plagiarism even deserving of its highly negative reputation? The question of whether the productions of chatbots constitute plagiarism or ghostwriting is considered – even as litigation swirls around the possibility of infringement occurring during the training of chatbots.

Chapter 2 explains how scientists identified the simian source of HIV. It starts with a short biography of Jane Goodall, some of whose findings, which were based on decades of observing chimpanzees in the Gombe Reserve, Tanzania, provided important clues. The distribution of various types of chimpanzees in Africa and key aspects of their behaviours are reviewed. This chapter also examines how, based on genetic studies of viruses that infect apes in the wild, scientists concluded that the Pan troglodytes troglodytes chimpanzee, which inhabits parts of central Africa, is the source of the HIV virus. This simian virus, SIVcpz, is identical to HIV-1.