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Uplift
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Uplift is a science fiction term used to describe the biological upgrading of a species from non-sentience to sentient life. The term comes from David Brin's "Uplift Universe" but the theme has existed throughout science fiction, starting with the animal people of "The Island of Dr. Moreau" (1896) by H.G. Wells. More infrequently, it can also refer to the same process in non-sentient robots.
Although many series deal with the moral or personal consequences of 'uplift', some science fiction works (such as Dragonriders of Pern) merely use it as a background detail.