Classified Origins...
There is much that cannot be told. The records have been destroyed, and those who knew the secrets can no longer be found.
What we do know is based on hints and rumors, but rings uncomfortably true. It runs something like this:
Over 30 years ago, in the early months of 1975, a team of scientists working for the Department of Defense made a series of small discoveries. The implications were...provocative...and for this reason the findings were not published in any journal. Instead, the team was transferred to a remote test site in Nevada. More staff, of varying clearances, were brought on board.
References to a project coded "Golden Tamarin" began to circulate. Memos affirmed that progress was being made. Then, a breakthrough (rumors conflict the most on this point): experiments had resulted in the successful isolation and enrichment of a new element, first in a series of superactinides, that posessed unorthodox and baffling properties (see George Langston's paper, "Golden Tamarin: Deconstructing the Myth" for differing theories).
Experimentation picked up momentum, including, among other avenues of research, biological exposure studies. Plants and insects made way for rodents, then primates. And last of all, obscured in documentation and known only to a few, human infants. Minor negative side-effects were outweighed by stunning developmental leaps in intelligence, creativity, and self-awareness.
Then, a leak. The Winnemucca Humboldt Sun ran a story suggesting all was not well. The incident might yet have been contained, but local elected officials took notice and began attracting greater publicity. Finally, under the heat of congressional inquiries regarding the existence of "ethically unsound research programs," Golden Tamarin and a number of other projects disappeared overnight and were categorically denied. Investigators found only empty warehouses and steel drums filled with ashes.
Though hard evidence has never emerged, there are those who quietly believe that the children of Golden Tamarin now walk among us.
Learn more about the conspiracy if you dare. (Your browsing activities will likely be held under close surveillance by those with an interest in such things.)