Anthropoid origins in Asia? New discovery of amphipithecus from the eocene of burma

A new fossil of the primate Amphipithecus mogaungensis Colbert from the late Eocene of Burma shows that this species has a mandibular and molar morphology very similar to Oligocene and post-Oligocene higher primates. It has an exceptionally deep jaw. Its brachybunodont first and second molars have smooth enamel but lack hypoconulids. The shape of its second molar is nearly square-an advanced higher primate feature. Amphipithecus mogaungensis and related taxon Pondaungia cotteri Pilgrim are the earliest known higher primates. They suggest that Southeast Asia was an early theater of higher primate diversification.     

Aging in the natural world: comparative data reveal similar mortality patterns across primates

Human senescence patterns-late onset of mortality increase, slow mortality acceleration, and exceptional longevity-are often described as unique in the animal world. Using an individual-based data set from longitudinal studies of wild populations of seven primate species, we show that contrary to assumptions of human uniqueness, human senescence falls within the primate continuum of aging; the tendency for males to have shorter life spans and higher age-specific mortality than females throughout much of adulthood is a common feature in many, but not all, primates; and the aging profiles of primate species do not reflect phylogenetic position. These findings suggest that mortality patterns in primates are shaped by local selective forces rather than phylogenetic history.     

非人灵长类肠道寄生虫研究进展

随着经济社会活动正日益增加,几乎没有非人灵长类的栖息环境能逃脱干扰,这不可避免增加了非人灵长类与人类的接触机会,也极大地增加人兽共患寄生虫交叉感染的风险。我国非人灵长类不仅面临着生境减少的威胁,更为严重的是很多保护区或者旅游景区将野生猴科灵长类作为招揽游客的手段,没有任何防护措施的人猴近距离接触更增加了寄生虫传播的危险。总结了国内外非人灵长类肠道寄生虫的相关研究成果,包括肠道寄生虫的种类、传播途径、危害及预防措施,为濒危非人灵长类的综合保护提供科学依据,对其保护方法和方针提供指导,具有一定的借鉴意义。     

Fossil mammals from baja california: new evidence on early tertiary migrations

Ungulates belonging to the family Barylambdidae were found in the same geologic unit with, but stratigraphically above, a specimen assigned to the Tillodontia and above several molars of the perissodactyl cf. Hyracotherium sp. This arrangement is unusual, as in the well-documented faunas from the Rocky Mountain Region Barylambdidae are known only from the Paleocene, Tillodontia from the Paleocene and Eocene, while Hyracotherium is known only from the Eocene. The expected stratigraphic order would be, from lowest to highest, Barylambdidae, Tillodontia, and Hyracotherium. It is suggested that the Baja California assemblage is late Paleocene on the basis of the generalized molars of cf. Hyracotherium sp. and the characters of cf. Esthonyx sp.     

Molecular and genomic data identify the closest living relative of primates

A full understanding of primate morphological and genomic evolution requires the identification of their closest living relative. In order to resolve the ancestral relationships among primates and their closest relatives, we searched multispecies genome alignments for phylogenetically informative rare genomic changes within the superordinal group Euarchonta, which includes the orders Primates, Dermoptera (colugos), and Scandentia (treeshrews). We also constructed phylogenetic trees from 14 kilobases of nuclear genes for representatives from most major primate lineages, both extant colugos, and multiple treeshrews, including the pentail treeshrew, Ptilocercus lowii, the only living member of the family Ptilocercidae. A relaxed molecular clock analysis including Ptilocercus suggests that treeshrews arose approximately 63 million years ago. Our data show that colugos are the closest living relatives of primates and indicate that their divergence occurred in the Cretaceous.     

Origins of HIV and the evolution of resistance to AIDS

The cross-species transmission of lentiviruses from African primates to humans has selected viral adaptations which have subsequently facilitated human-to-human transmission. HIV adapts not only by positive selection through mutation but also by recombination of segments of its genome in individuals who become multiply infected. Naturally infected nonhuman primates are relatively resistant to AIDS-like disease despite high plasma viral loads and sustained viral evolution. Further understanding of host resistance factors and the mechanisms of disease in natural primate hosts may provide insight into unexplored therapeutic avenues for the prevention of AIDS.     

Phylogenetic shadowing of primate sequences to find functional regions of the human genome

Nonhuman primates represent the most relevant model organisms to understand the biology of Homo sapiens. The recent divergence and associated overall sequence conservation between individual members of this taxon have nonetheless largely precluded the use of primates in comparative sequence studies. We used sequence comparisons of an extensive set of Old World and New World monkeys and hominoids to identify functional regions in the human genome. Analysis of these data enabled the discovery of primate-specific gene regulatory elements and the demarcation of the exons of multiple genes. Much of the information content of the comprehensive primate sequence comparisons could be captured with a small subset of phylogenetically close primates. These results demonstrate the utility of intraprimate sequence comparisons to discover common mammalian as well as primate-specific functional elements in the human genome, which are unattainable through the evaluation of more evolutionarily distant species.     

Social relationships and social cognition in nonhuman primates

Complex social relationships among nonhuman primates appear to contribute to individual reproductive success. Experiments with and behavioral observations of natural populations suggest that sophisticated cognitive mechanisms may underlie primate social relationships. Similar capacities are usually less apparent in the nonsocial realm, supporting the view that at least some aspects of primate intelligence evolved to solve the challenges of interacting with conspecifics.     

Insulin levels in primates by immunoassay

Only trace amounts of insulin were detected by an immunoassay system with guinea pig antibody to pork insulin in the New World primates Cebus and Saimiri. The system found insulin levels in the Old World primates rhesus and chimpanzee which were quite like those of human beings. The findings suggest important structural differences in the insulins of the two primate divisions.     

伊犁田鼠(Microtus ilaeus)年龄和繁殖的研究

利用主分量分析方法对常用的体重、体长、晶体干重和头骨等13项生长指标进行筛选,以确定伊犁田鼠年龄划分标准.通过分析,上齿列长的因子负荷量较大,且无雌雄性别差异,可作为年龄划分最优指标.同时结合繁殖情况,可将伊犁田鼠划分为四个年龄组:幼体组(上齿列长＜4.90mm);亚成体组(4.90mm≤上齿列长＜5.40mm);成体组(5.40mm≤上齿列长＜6.00mm);老体组(上齿列长≥6.00mm),经统计检验,相邻组间差异显著,表明划分结果合理.在当地的伊犁田鼠5～6月已进入繁殖盛期,34.15;的亚成体参与繁殖,已有当年出生的幼体活动,平均胎仔数5.66(4～11).     

Lemur social behavior and primate intelligence

Our human intellect has resulted from an enormous leap in capacity above the level of monkeys and apes. Earlier, though, Old and New World monkeys' intelligence outdistanced that of other mammals, including the prosimian primates. This first great advance in intelligence probably was selected through interspecific competition on the large continents. However, even at this early stage, primate social life provided the evolutionary context of primate intelligence. Two arguments support this conclusion. One is ontogenetic: modern monkeys learn so much of their social behavior, and learn their behavior toward food and toward other species through social example. The second is phylogenetic: some prosimians, the social lemurs, have evolved the usual primate type of society and social learning without the capacity to manipulate objects as monkeys do. It thus seems likely that the rudiments of primate society preceded the growth of primate intelligence, made it possible, and determined its nature.     

Rates of DNA sequence evolution differ between taxonomic groups

The mutation rates of DNA sequences during evolution can be estimated from interspecies DNA sequence differences by assaying changes that have little or no effect on the phenotype (neutral mutations). Examination of available measurements shows that rates of DNA change of different phylogenetic groups differ by a factor of 5. The slowest rates are observed for higher primates and some bird lineages, while faster rates are seen in rodents, sea urchins, and drosophila. The rate of DNA sequence change has decreased markedly during primate evolution. The contrast in rates of DNA sequence change is probably due to evolutionary variation and selection of biochemical mechanisms such as DNA replication or repair.     

Cranial anatomy of oreopithecus

Reexamination of the 1958 skull of the late Miocene Oreopithecus bambolii revealed a cranial anatomy different from that widely accepted for this taxon. There is a sagittal crest, a high nuchal crest, a large gonial angle, and alpha high, rather vertical, occiput. This catarrhine was not a very large brained primate compared to known advanced hominoids.     

如何做好灵长类动物丰富度

介绍了如何做好灵长类动物丰富度的措施,通过开展丰富度研究,可以大大提高灵长类动物的生活质量,尽量使它们能表现出自然行为。     

Promiscuity and the primate immune system

The behavioral and ecological factors involved in immune system evolution remain poorly explored. We present a phylogenetic analysis of white blood cell counts in primates to test three hypotheses related to disease risk: increases in risk are expected with group size or population density, exposure to soil-borne pathogens, and mating promiscuity. White blood cell counts were significantly greater in species where females have more mating partners, indicating that the risk of sexually transmitted disease is likely to be a major factor leading to systematic differences in the primate immune system.     

Motor cortex reflexes associated with learned movement

In primates, sensory input can generate reflex motor cortex output in association with learned movement when the sensory input has a strong and direct connection to the motor cortex-for example, when a stimulus calling for repositioning of the hand consists of a perturbation of hand position. This finding supports the proposal that neurons of primate motor cortex may function in a transcortical servo-loop.     

电网在灵长类动物场馆的应用

为了达到人与自然的和谐相处,电网在灵长类动物场馆设计中应遵循安全、实用、美观的原则。分别介绍了猴岛、灵长馆的电网设计及电网应用效果,说明电网设计必须根据场馆实际及所放养的动物而做出不同的要求,指出电网对防范动物逃逸和减少安全事故方面起到了积极的作用。     

The cayo santiago primate colony

This is an account of the vicissitudes of the monkeys on Cayo Santiago. In it is described the relationship of the establishment of that primate colony to the development of the National Regional Primate Research Center Program in the United States and the Laboratory of Perinatal Physiology in Puerto Rico. The Cayo Santiago colony opened new aspects of biomedical research and stimulated the general use of nonhuman primates in behavioral as well as physiological investigations.     

Organ weights in primates and other mammals

In mammals the weight of the heart, kidney, lungs, and other organs can be related to total body weight through power laws (allometry). Weights of primate organs are analyzed by this technique. Allometric coefficients and size-independent organ-weight or body-form ratios may be used to compare primates, including humans, and other mammals.     

Age of the earliest african anthropoids

The earliest fossil record of African anthropoid primates (monkeys and apes) comes from the Jebel Qatrani Formation in the Fayum depression of Egypt. Reevaluation of both geologic and faunal evidence indicates that this formation was deposited in the early part of the Oligocene Epoch, more than 31 million years ago, earlier than previous estimates. The great antiquity of the fossil higher primates from Egypt accords well with their primitive morphology compared with later Old World higher primates. Thus, the anthropoid primates and hystricomorph rodents from Fayum are also considerably older than the earliest higher primates and rodents from South America.