DOCSLIB.ORG

Twelve Wise Men at the Vatican

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Twelve Wise Men at the Vatican Nature Vol. 299 30 September 1982 395 NEWS ANI) VIE\X1S Twelve wise men at the Vatican from J.M. Lowenstein A RECENT meeting* of twelve scholars at utan-like features (see PilbeamNature295, ancestral to both groups. Palae­ the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in the 232; Andrews News and Views 295, 185; oanthropologists commonly date the split Vatican Gardens proved historic in two 1982) and the finding that limb bones much earlier, so that in their view, respects. First, the group, which consisted attributed to Ramapithecus or Aegyptopithecus is a hominoid ancestor of palaeontologists, geneticists and Sivapithecus (but not found in association only. Here, as in so much of primate molecular biologists and which had been with jaws and teeth) strongly suggest an evolution, accurate dating of divergences specifically assembled to reconcile the arboreal adaptation. Supporting evidence between lineages becomes critical. palaeontological evidence of primate comes from a new radioimmunoassay One characteristic proposed as evidence evolution with that from molecular technique. Preliminary results of a phylogenetic relationship between biology, was able to agree on a scenario for (Lowenstein) show the fossil proteins of Ramapithecus and Australopithecus is the primate evolution over the past 30 million Ramapithecus/Sivapithecus to be most presence of thickly enamelled molars. In years. To many protagonists of the two like the serum proteins of orang-utan, Greenfield's opinion, this trait has very disciplines this will seem something of a gibbon and gorilla, less like those of man limited phylogenetic significance and does miracle. Second, the highest scientific body and chimpanzee and least like those of not support the inferred relationship. of the Catholic Church produced a strong monkey and other mammals - suggesting Rather, bipedalism and not small canines statement supporting the evolutionary the Miocene genera Ramapithecus/Siva­ or an enlarged brain appears to be the hypothesis as the explanation for the origin pithecus were hominoid (ancestral to apes emergent hominid trait - although what and diversity of living primates - just a or to apes and humans) rather than ecological conditions encouraged few weeks after the hundredth anniversary hominid. bipedalism is not at all clear. of Darwin's death. The first true hominids were agreed to be Molecular biology can be expected to Presiding over the working group was the australopithecines of East and South prove of increasing value in providing the President of the Pontifical Academy, Africa, dated from about 4 Myr BP. information about the relationships of Carlos Chagas, a neurophysiologist from Coppens, who with Johanson and White extant higher primates. Doolittle pointed Brazil and scientific adviser to Pope John named the species Australopithecus out that the study of pseudogenes, which Paul II. The pope reportedly takes a keen afarensis, now considers that the observed change rapidly without any apparent interest in the activities of the Academy. large variation in size may not oe due to selection pressures to restrict base pair Palaeontologists and molecular sexual dimorphism as previously thought, substitutions, may provide particularly biologists have been divided over whether but may indicate that more than one useful data. the various living apes and man diverged species was present at that early time. In the Many other controversial areas of early on (20 Myr BP) or late (5-7 Myr BP ). period between 4 and 14 Myr, when the primate evolution were discussed. Tobias Some fossil evidence, particularly the common ancestor of man, chimpanzee and put forward the view that Homo habilis dating of Ramapithecus, considered by gorilla probably lived, there is no may have been capable of speech (albeit many palaeoanthropologists to be significant African fossil record of rudimentary) on the basis of an inferred hominid, supports the earlier date. A mass hominids or hominoids and no fossil well-developed vocal tract, endocast of biochemical data showing about 99 per record at all for chimpanzee and gorillas. evidence of possible Broca's and cent identity between the DNA and Fossils from this period are badly needed to Wernicke's areas, and a stone tool tech­ proteins of chimpanzee, gorilla and man decide the path of human evolution. nology reflecting learned technical skills implies, from inferred rates of DNA and The earliest record of monkey-like and requiring speech for their transmission. protein change, that the separation ape-like primates, known from the Fayum Overall, though, the working group was occurred at the later date. formation of Egypt, was reviewed by able to agree on its conclusion: The working group was able to reconcile Simons, who also described a new genus, "We freely acknowledge that there is room the fossil and biochemical evidence by Qatrania. Aegyptopithecus, earlier for differences of opinion on such taking into account evidence that discovered in the Fayum by Simons, has problems as species formation and the Ramapithecus is not hominid but is more teeth resembling those of apes but limb mechanisms of evolutionary change. probably related (along with Sivapithecus) bones resembling those of New World Nonetheless, we are convinced that masses to the orang-utan lineage. Particularly howling monkeys. Aegyptopithecus, dated of evidence render the application of the important are the recent discovery of a at 25-35 Myr, may be ancestral either to concept of evolution to man and other Sivapithecus face which has many orang- Old World monkeys and hominoids or to primates beyond serious dispute". D •Participants at the conference, held 24-27 May 1982, were E. hominoids only, depending on the dating Bone (Belgium), Y. Coppens and J. Lejeune (France), R. of the monkey-hominoid split. Molecular Doolittle, L. Gre{'nfield, J. Low1.·nstein. D. Pilbeam and E. J. M. Lowenstein is Clinical Professor of Simons (USA), C. Pavan (Brazil), U. Sermonti (Italy) and P. data suggest the split occurred 20-25 Myr Medicine at the University of California, San Tobias (5. Africa). BP which would make Aegyptopithecus Francisco, California 94143. 0028-0836/82/390395-01$01.00 C t982 Macmillan Journals Ltd .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Paralouatta Varonai. a New Quaternary Platyrrhine from Cuba
    Manuel River0 Paralouatta varonai. a new Quaternary Faruldad de Biologia, 1 ~niversidadde platyrrhine from Cuba IA Habana, Ln Habana, Cuba Paralouatta varonai, new gen. and sp., from the Quaternary of Cuba, is diag- Oscar Arredondo nosed on the basis ofa skull lacking only portions of the face and the anterior dentition. Among extant platyrrhines, the new monkey shares important derived resemblances with Alouatta, including: (1) form of hafting of the neurocranium and face, (2) depth of malar corpus, and (3) marked lateral flaring of the maxillary root of the zygomatic process. It differs from Alouatta Received 27 June 1990 in mostly primitive ways, including: (1) presence of downwardly-directed Revision received 1 October 1990 foramen magnum, (2) less vertical orientation ofnuchal plane, and (3) curw and accepted I November 1990 of Spee opening less sharply upward. A conspicuous autapomorphy of P. vnronai is the extremely large size of the orbits, paralleled among living ~~vul~,rds;Platyrrhini, Atelidae. piatyrrhines only in Aotw. ~w&xuztln onrona:, Quaternary, Cuba, Fossil primates. journal oj Human .!hlution ( 1991) 21, l-1 1 introduction It is increasingly apparent that the Greater Antilles possessed a diverse array of platyrrhine primates during geologically recent times. To date, primate remains have been recovered from cave sites on three of these islands-Jamaica, Hispaniola and Cuba (Ameghino, 19 10; Miller, 1916, 1929; Williams & Koopman, 1952; Rimoli, 1977; MacPhee & Woods, 1982; Ford & Morgan, 1986,1988; Ford, 1990; MacPhee & Fleagle, in press). Some of this material has yet to be formally described and the number of good species represented in existing collections is unclear.
    [Show full text]
  • 8. Primate Evolution
    8. Primate Evolution Jonathan M. G. Perry, Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Stephanie L. Canington, B.A., The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Learning Objectives • Understand the major trends in primate evolution from the origin of primates to the origin of our own species • Learn about primate adaptations and how they characterize major primate groups • Discuss the kinds of evidence that anthropologists use to find out how extinct primates are related to each other and to living primates • Recognize how the changing geography and climate of Earth have influenced where and when primates have thrived or gone extinct The first fifty million years of primate evolution was a series of adaptive radiations leading to the diversification of the earliest lemurs, monkeys, and apes. The primate story begins in the canopy and understory of conifer-dominated forests, with our small, furtive ancestors subsisting at night, beneath the notice of day-active dinosaurs. From the archaic plesiadapiforms (archaic primates) to the earliest groups of true primates (euprimates), the origin of our own order is characterized by the struggle for new food sources and microhabitats in the arboreal setting. Climate change forced major extinctions as the northern continents became increasingly dry, cold, and seasonal and as tropical rainforests gave way to deciduous forests, woodlands, and eventually grasslands. Lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers—once diverse groups containing many species—became rare, except for lemurs in Madagascar where there were no anthropoid competitors and perhaps few predators. Meanwhile, anthropoids (monkeys and apes) emerged in the Old World, then dispersed across parts of the northern hemisphere, Africa, and ultimately South America.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancestral Facial Morphology of Old World Higher Primates (Anthropoidea/Catarrhini/Miocene/Cranium/Anatomy) BRENDA R
    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 88, pp. 5267-5271, June 1991 Evolution Ancestral facial morphology of Old World higher primates (Anthropoidea/Catarrhini/Miocene/cranium/anatomy) BRENDA R. BENEFIT* AND MONTE L. MCCROSSINt *Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901; and tDepartment of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 Communicated by F. Clark Howell, March 11, 1991 ABSTRACT Fossil remains of the cercopithecoid Victoia- (1, 5, 6). Contrasting craniofacial configurations of cercopithe- pithecus recently recovered from middle Miocene deposits of cines and great apes are, in consequence, held to be indepen- Maboko Island (Kenya) provide evidence ofthe cranial anatomy dently derived with regard to the ancestral catarrhine condition of Old World monkeys prior to the evolutionary divergence of (1, 5, 6). This reconstruction has formed the basis of influential the extant subfamilies Colobinae and Cercopithecinae. Victoria- cladistic assessments ofthe phylogenetic relationships between pithecus shares a suite ofcraniofacial features with the Oligocene extant and extinct catarrhines (1, 2). catarrhine Aegyptopithecus and early Miocene hominoid Afro- Reconstructions of the ancestral catarrhine morphotype pithecus. AU three genera manifest supraorbital costae, anteri- are based on commonalities of subordinate morphotypes for orly convergent temporal lines, the absence of a postglabellar Cercopithecoidea and Hominoidea (1, 5, 6). Broadly distrib- fossa, a moderate to long snout, great facial
    [Show full text]
  • Aegyptopithecus and Proconsul
    Correlation of Tooth Size and Body Size in Living Hominoid Primates, with a Note on Relative Brain Size in Aegyptopithecus and Proconsul PHILIP D. GINGERICH Museum of Paleontology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 KEY WORDS Tooth size a Body size - Hominoidea . Aegrp- topithecus . Proconsul . Relative brain size ABSTRACT Second molar length and body weight are used to test the corre- lation between tooth size and body size in living Hominoidea. These variates are highly correlated G. = 0.942,~< 0.001),indicating that tooth size can be used in dentally unspecialized fossil hominoids as one method of predicting the average body weight of species. Based on tooth size, the average body weight of Aegyp- topithecus zeuxis is estimated to have been between 4.5 and 7.5 kg, which is cor- roborated by known cranial and postcranial elements. Using Radinsky's esti- mates of brain size, the encephalization quotient (EQ) for Aegyptopithecus was between 0.65 and 1.04. A similar analysis for Proconsul africanus yields a body weight between 16 and 34 kg, and an EQ between 1.19 and 1.96. Dental enamel is the hardest and densest that attempts to infer body size from tooth tissue in the mammalian skeleton, and as a size in fossil hominoid primates are unjusti- result teeth are the most commonly preserved fied. However, the correlation of body size remains of mammals in the fossil record. Most with tooth size across species of a superfamily mammalian teeth do not continue to grow like the Hominoidea is not the same as the during life-once the teeth have formed and correlation of these variables within a species.
    [Show full text]
  • Primate Evolution: Evidence from the Fossil Record, Comparative Morphology, and Molecular Biology
    YEARBOOK OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2757-72 (1984) Primate Evolution: Evidence From the Fossil Record, Comparative Morphology, and Molecular Biology PHILIP D. GINGERICH Museum of Paleontology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 KEY WORDS Primate evolution, Phylogeny, Stratophenetics, Cladistics, Molecular clocks ABSTRACT Our understanding of primate evolution is ultimately based on patterns of phyletic relationship and morphological change documented in the fossil record. Stratophenetic interpretation of living and fossil primates yields an objective alternative to the arbitrary scala naturae assumed implic- itly in traditional comparative biology. Fossils provide an outline of primate history constraining comparative analyses incorporating taxa and morpho- logical characteristics not represented in the fossil record. Extant taxa with- out known prehistoric relatives may be interpolated into this outline using deductive cladistic analysis of morphological characteristics and overall mo- lecular similarity. Cladistic analysis provides a method for evaluating the relative strength of stratophenetic links between taxa. The phyletic node connecting Anthropoidea-Adapoidea-Lemuroidea is analyzed here as an ex- ample: the link between Eocene Adapoidea and primitive Anthropoidea ap- pears stronger than that between Adapoidea and Lemuroidea because it is based on shared-derived rather than shared-primitive characteristics. Full integration of molecular results with morphological information requires a better understanding of rates of molecular change over geological time. Rates of molecular evolution can be studied using paleontologically documented divergence times for Prosimii-Anthropoidea (ca. 55 m.y.B.P.1, Platyrrhini- Catarrhini (ca. 40 m.y.B.P.1, and Hominoidea-Cercopithecoidea (ca. 25 m.y. B.P.). Immunological distances combined with these divergence times indi- cate that primate albumin, widely used as a molecular clock in primatology, has evolved nonlinearly over geological time.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Primate Mandibular Symphyseal Fusion: Function, Integration, and Ontogeny
    UNDERSTANDING PRIMATE MANDIBULAR SYMPHYSEAL FUSION: FUNCTION, INTEGRATION, AND ONTOGENY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY RYAN P. KNIGGE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DR. KIERAN P. MCNULTY December 2017 @ Ryan P. Knigge 2017 Acknowledgements First, I am deeply indebted to my advisor and mentor, Kieran McNulty, for many years of patience and support. He opened my eyes to exciting and innovative areas of scientific research and has challenged me to become a better student of anthropology, biology, and statistical practices. I am also particularly grateful for my committee members, Martha Tappen, Michael Wilson, and Alan Love, for so many interesting discussions and insights over the years. I thank the Department of Anthropology and my many friends and colleagues within for years of emotional and academic support. Many data collection and field work trips were funded through department block grants. Surely without these contributions, I would not have been able to succeed as a graduate student. I would like thank the previous and current managers of the Evolutionary Anthropology Labs at the University of Minnesota, John Soderberg and Matt Edling, for access to the collections and technical support. Without their help and generosity, data collection and analysis would not have been possible. I thank the University of Minnesota for supporting my research in many ways during my graduate school career. Portions of my data collection were funded through the University of Minnesota Graduate School Thesis Research Travel Grant. Dissertation writing support was provided through the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship.
    [Show full text]
  • Aegyptopithecus the 'Egyptian Ape'
    Evolutionary theories on gender and sexual reproduction — Thompson and Harrub Papers skull of an adult male. It was the first skull,5 but not the Aegyptopithecus first specimen, ofAegyptopithecus found. CGM 40237 was found in 1966 at quarry M by Grant E. Meyer6 and the skull has been nicknamed ‘Grant’ in his honor. Meyer found the the ‘Egyptian ape’ skull when he noticed the orbits and brow ridges protruding out of the sand. Matthew Murdock The skull is fairly complete, but heavily reconstructed (see figure 1). The face was shattered, and the frontal bone Aegyptopithecus was a small quadrupedal ape was ‘displaced several centimeters’ posteriorly.7 The right whose fragmentary remains were found during a parietal is extensively reconstructed. Both zygomas* are number of field seasons in Egypt. Aegyptopithecus present, but the skull lacks the left and right zygomatic was a small quadrupedal ape whose fragmentary arches. remains were found during a number of field seasons There is some reconstruction of the nasal bones and in Egypt. Examination of its anatomy, based on this face, but without x-rays of the original fossil (see below) it fossil evidence and fossils from other species is difficult to determine how much of the reconstructed skull claimed to be related to it, brings into question its is actually bone and how much is comprised of other mate- ancestral status. rial used in the reconstruction (clay, wax etc.). Determining this is critical in order to ascertain whether this specimen was truly as prognathic as it appears. CGM 40237 is a sub adult. The canine teeth and third The dawning of Aegyptopithecus molars though present have not yet erupted.
    [Show full text]
  • Cerebral Complexity Preceded Enlarged Brain Size and Reduced Olfactory Bulbs in Old World Monkeys
    ARTICLE Received 22 Jan 2015 | Accepted 21 May 2015 | Published 3 Jul 2015 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8580 OPEN Cerebral complexity preceded enlarged brain size and reduced olfactory bulbs in Old World monkeys Lauren A. Gonzales1, Brenda R. Benefit2, Monte L. McCrossin2 & Fred Spoor3,4 Analysis of the only complete early cercopithecoid (Old World monkey) endocast currently known, that of 15-million-year (Myr)-old Victoriapithecus, reveals an unexpectedly small endocranial volume (ECV) relative to body size and a large olfactory bulb volume relative to ECV, similar to extant lemurs and Oligocene anthropoids. However, the Victoriapithecus brain has principal and arcuate sulci of the frontal lobe not seen in the stem catarrhine Aegyptopithecus, as well as a distinctive cercopithecoid pattern of gyrification, indicating that cerebral complexity preceded encephalization in cercopithecoids. Since larger ECVs, expanded frontal lobes, and reduced olfactory bulbs are already present in the 17- to 18-Myr-old ape Proconsul these features evolved independently in hominoids (apes) and cercopithecoids and much earlier in the former. Moreover, the order of encephalization and brain reorganization was apparently different in hominoids and cercopithecoids, showing that brain size and cerebral organization evolve independently. 1 Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, 104 Biological Sciences Building, Box 90383, Durham, North Carolina 27708-9976, USA. 2 Department of Anthropology, New Mexico State University, PO Box 30001, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003-8001, USA. 3 Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany. 4 Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to L.A.G.
    [Show full text]
  • Pierolapithecus and the Functional Morphology of Miocene Ape Hand Phalanges: Paleobiological and Evolutionary Implications
    Journal of Human Evolution 57 (2009) 284–297 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Human Evolution journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jhevol Pierolapithecus and the functional morphology of Miocene ape hand phalanges: paleobiological and evolutionary implications Sergio Alme´cija a,*, David M. Alba a,b, Salvador Moya`-Sola` c a Institut Catala` de Paleontologia, Universitat Auto`noma de Barcelona. Edifici ICP, Campus de la UAB s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Valle`s, Barcelona, Spain b Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita` degli Studi di Firenze. Via G. La Pira 4, 50121 Florence, Italy c ICREA at Institut Catala` de Paleontologia and Unitat d’Antropologia Biolo`gica (Dept. BABVE), Universitat Auto`noma de Barcelona. Edifici ICP, Campus de la UAB s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Valle`s, Barcelona, Spain article info abstract Article history: The partial skeleton of Pierolapithecus, which provides the oldest unequivocal evidence of orthogrady, Received 19 September 2008 together with the recently described phalanges from Pas¸alar most likely attributable to Griphopithecus, Accepted 18 February 2009 provide a unique opportunity for understanding the changes in hand anatomy during the pronogrady/ orthogrady transition in hominoid evolution. In this paper, we describe the Pierolapithecus hand Keywords: phalanges and compare their morphology and proportions with those of other Miocene apes in order to Hand morphology make paleobiological inferences about locomotor evolution. In particular, we investigate the orthograde/ Griphopithecus pronograde evolutionary transition in order to test whether the acquisition of vertical climbing and Hispanopithecus Great apes suspension were decoupled during evolution. Our results indicate that the manual phalanges of Miocene Locomotion apes are much more similar to one another than to living apes.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 AAZPA LIBRARIANS SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP BIBLIOGRAPHY SERVICE This Bibliography Is Provided As a Service of the AAZPA LIBRARIAN
    AAZPA LIBRARIANS SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP BIBLIOGRAPHY SERVICE This bibliography is provided as a service of the AAZPA LIBRARIANS SPECIAL INTER EST GROUP and THE CONSORTIUM OF AQUARIUMS, UNIVERSITIES AND ZOOS. TITLE: HOWLER MONKEY BIBLIOGRAPHY AUTHOR & INSTITUTION: Dr. Barbara Baker International Studbook Keeper Black Howler Monkey Riverbanks Zoo Columbia, North Carolina DATE: December 1988 Listed below is a collection of articles on howler monkey biology and husbandry. Copies of the majority of the articles are available from the studbook keeper. The articles are categorized by subject: Anatomy and Physiology, Behavior, Foraging and Nutrition, Genetics, Husbandry and Captive Management, Pathology, Population Studies, Reproduction, Taxonomy, and Veterinary Medicine. Anatomy and Physiology Chivers, D.J. and C.M. Hladik. 1980. Morphology of the gastrointestinal tract in primates: Comparisons with other mammals in relation to diet. Journal of Morphology, 166:337-386. Claver, J.A., I. von Lawzewitsch, and O.J. Colillas. 1984. Microscopic anatomy of the ovary of Alouatta caraya. Primates, 25:362-371. ------, O.J. Colillas, and B.L. Travi. 1984. Histological and microbiological aspects of the vagina in captive howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya). Primates, 25:110-116. Corruccini, R.S., R.L. Ciochon, and H.M. McHenry. 1975. Osteometric shape relationships in the wrist joint of some anthropoids. Folia Primatologica, 24:250-274. Cramer, D.L. 1986. Anatomy of the thoracic and abdominal viscera. In: M.R. Malinow, ed. Biology of the Howler Monkey (Alouatta caraya). Bibliotheca Primatologica, 7:90-103. New York:Karger. Cristoffer, C. 1987. Body size differences between New World and Old World, arboreal tropical vertebrates: Cause and consequences.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 16 Study Guide Section 1: Primates
    Name Date Class CHAPTER 16 Study Guide Section 1: Primates In your textbook, read about the characteristics of primates. Match the definition in Column A with the term in Column B. Column A Column B 1. subfamily that includes only humans and human ancestors A. primate 2. active during the day B. binocular vision 3. order of animals characterized by flexible hands and feet C. opposable first digit 4. finger that can be brought opposite the other fingers D. diurnal 5. humanlike primate E. nocturnal 6. “fifth limb” used for grasping and support F. hominin 7. active during the night G. anthropoid 8. forward-looking eyes with overlapping fields of vision H. prehensile tail that provide greater depth perception Refer to the diagram of animal hands below. Respond to each question and statement. 9. Cite a task that the chimpanzee’s hand would enable it to do that the hand of the squirrel would not. 10. Describe Look at the chimpanzee hand and the squirrel hand. How do they differ? How are the chimpanzee hand #HIMPANZEEHAND "ABOONHAND 3QUIRRELHAND and the baboon hand similar? Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. The McGraw-Hill of a division © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Copyright Unit 4 CHAPTER 16 Primate Evolution 83 0071-106_Bio_FF_U04C16_896093.ind8371-106_Bio_FF_U04C16_896093.ind83 8833 PDF 2nd 33/5/10/5/10 110:14:460:14:46 PPMM Study Guide, Section 1: Primates continued In your textbook, read about primate groups. Complete the table by checking the correct column(s) for each description. Description Strepsirrhines Haplorhines 11.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fayum Primate Forest Revisited
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln USGS Staff -- Published Research US Geological Survey 1982 The Fayum Primate Forest Revisited Thomas M. Bown U.S. Geological Survey Mary Kraus University of Colorado Scott Wing U.S. Geological Survey John Fleagle State University of New York Bruce H. Tiffney Yale University See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsstaffpub Part of the Earth Sciences Commons Bown, Thomas M.; Kraus, Mary; Wing, Scott; Fleagle, John; Tiffney, Bruce H.; Simons, Elwyn; and Vondra, Carl F., "The Fayum Primate Forest Revisited" (1982). USGS Staff -- Published Research. 245. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsstaffpub/245 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the US Geological Survey at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in USGS Staff -- Published Research by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Authors Thomas M. Bown, Mary Kraus, Scott Wing, John Fleagle, Bruce H. Tiffney, Elwyn Simons, and Carl F. Vondra This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ usgsstaffpub/245 Thomas M. Bown The Faywn Prim.ate Forest Revisited u.s. Geological Survey, Denl"Jr, Colorado 80225, U.S.A. In Oligocene times, the Fayum area of northern Egypt was a sub­ tropical to tropical lowland coastal plain with damp soils and seasonal ~1ary J. Kraus rainfall that supported an abundance and variety of vegetation, Department of Geology, including lianes (large vines), tall trees, and possibly mangroves, and The Cniversity of Colorado, a large and varied vertebrate fauna.
    [Show full text]