Evolutionary and Genetic Biology of Primates

With the onset of World War II, research on the nonhuman primates underwent a marked decline. It is only within the last decade, that research in this field has undergone a real revival-a revival which, indeed, is becoming increasingly extensive. The greater availability of specimens, brought about by increased funds for research and travel, undoubtedly has been a most important factor. But perhaps the chief stimulus has been the development of new scientific approaches and tools which have enabled primatologists to extend their interests into largely unexplored areas such as biochemistry, physiology, histology, and genetics. The classical areas, however, have not been excluded in this primatological renaissance. New and important fossil discoveries have brought renewed interest to primate paleontology, and the availability of larger series and more species of living primates has again stimulated interest in their gross anatomy, in which, notwithstanding past investigations, numerous important gaps remain to be filled. To this research must be added a recent remarkable revival of study of primates in their native habitats. Primatology has so expanded that, in contrast to the earlier part of this century, there no longer can be a "compleat" primatologist. Like other biologists, he is becoming, of necessity, more and more a specialist. These two volumes present, although not exclusively, the results of some of the recent investigations in the newer areas of primate research. Volume I consists of seven chapters. John Buettner-Janusch deals with some of the problems of primate classification. In line with the current trend in taxonomy, he is a lumper, apparently even an extreme one. His discussion is stimulating, even though one may not agree with all of his suggestions, such as the lumping of Macaca and Papio in a single genus. The reap-praisal of Tertiary primates by Elywn Simons is timely. His discussions of Parapithecus, Propliopithecus, Ramapithecus, and other fossil catar-rhines will be of particular interest to anyone concerned with hominid phylogeny, although some of his conclusions may not be acceptable. Recent years have produced a great deal of important research on the primate nervous system. Charles Noback and Norman Moskowitz have performed a service in bringing much of this together in a correlated and useful presentation. They devote particular attention to the visual system, which has undoubtedly played a major role in primate evolution. The older literature contains numerous studies of the skin of primates, but during the last 50 years only sporadic …