Elwyn Simons: A Search for Origins (eBook)

John G Fleagle, Christopher C. Gilbert (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: PDF

2007 | 2008
XIV, 466 Seiten
Springer New York (Verlag)
978-0-387-73896-3 (ISBN)

Infos

For nearly a half century, Dr. Simons has dominated the study of primate evolution. This volume summarizes the current state of knowledge in many aspects of primate and human evolution that have been studied by Simons and his colleagues and place it in a broader paleontological and historical perspective. The book contains the results of new research as well as reviews of many of the critical issues in primate and human evolution during the last half of the twentieth century.

Elwyn Simons has held professional appointments at Yale University (1960-1977), Duke University (1977-present), and was the Director of the Duke Primate Center (1977-1991) and Scientific Director (1991-2001). He has authored nearly 300 scientific publications and is the holder of many high honors. He is a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, as well as many other professional associations. He was elected a 'Knight of the National Order' by the government of Madagascar and has been the recipient of many awards including the prestigious Charles R. Darwin Award for Lifetime Achievement from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.

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Elwyn Simons has held professional appointments at Yale University (1960-1977), Duke University (1977-present), and was the Director of the Duke Primate Center (1977-1991) and Scientific Director (1991-2001). He has authored nearly 300 scientific publications and is the holder of many high honors. He is a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, as well as many other professional associations. He was elected a "e;Knight of the National Order"e; by the government of Madagascar and has been the recipient of many awards including the prestigious Charles R. Darwin Award for Lifetime Achievement from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.For nearly a half century, Dr. Simons has dominated the study of primate evolution. The volume summarizes the current state of knowledge in many aspects of primate and human evolution that have been studied by Simons and his colleagues and place it in a broader paleontological and historical perspective. Elwyn Simons: A Search for Origins contains the results of new research and reviews of many of the critical issues in primate and human evolution during the last half of the twentieth century as well as aspects of African paleontology and primate conservation in Madagascar. The authors are an extremely distinguished group of international authorities on all aspects of primate and human evolution and primate behavior.Although linked primarily by their connection to Simons' own career, the chapters include a wide range of important new works that are valuable contributions to the field of physical anthropology and paleontology and are certain to be widely cited and used in teaching. Several of the papers (Simons et al., Wing et al., Seiffert et al., Gingerich, O'Conner) are broad reviews of the history of research and discoveries in the fossil deposits of the Fayum, Egypt that have formed the background of our understanding of anthropoid evolution for over a century and will be important researchers for students and researchers in primate evolution and African paleontology. Similarly, broad reviews of the history of primate paleontology and human evolution (Rasmussen, Pilbeam, Wood; Sussman and Hart) will be essential reading in courses in primate and human evolution as well as the history of physical anthropology. Other authors describe new research results on early anthropoid fossils from Egypt (Kay and Simons) Tanzania (Stevens) and Myanmar (Gunnell and Ciochon). The chapter by John Oakley, Professor of Law at the University of California addresses the challenges to the teaching of evolution in schools- both public and universities world wide. Another major focus of several chapters are the primates of Madagascar. Two chapters are reviews of the extraordinary radiation of fossil lemurs (Godfrey et al, Jungers et al.). Two review the behavior and conservation of living lemurs (Taylor and Wright) and the chapter by Tattersall bridges the two major sections of the book by discussing about the biogeographic history of Malagasy mammals.

Inhalt

Preface 6
Contents 8
Contributors 11
The Life of a Scientist 15
Introduction to the Festschrift 16
Elwyn LaVerne Simons 19
A Personal Reminiscence of Elwyn 24
Sir Wilfrid Le Gros Clark 30
Sir Wilfrid Le Gros Clark 45
Human Evolution and the Challenge of Creationism 51
The Fayum and Other Fossil Adventures 56
Five Decades in the Fayum 59
Geology, Paleoenvironment, and Age of Birket Qarun Locality 2 ( BQ- 2), Fayum Depression, Egypt 79
Eocene and Oligocene Mammals of the Fayum, Egypt 95
Early Evolution of Whales 114
The Basicranial Anatomy of African Eocene/ Oligocene Anthropoids. Are There Any Clues for Platyrrhine Origins? 132
Paleontological Exploration in Africa 166
Return to Dor al-Talha 188
Revisiting Haritalyangar, the Late Miocene Ape Locality of India 204
Revisiting Primate Postcrania from the Pondaung Formation of Myanmar 218
A Haplorhine First Metatarsal from the Middle Eocene of China 236
New Data on Loveina (Primates: Omomyidae) from the early Eocene Wasatch Formation and Implications for Washakiin Relationships 250
The Behavioral Ecology of our Earliest Hominid Ancestors 265
Primates from Madagascar and Elsewhere 286
Decades of Lemur Research and Conservation 288
Low Fetal Energy Deposition Rates in Lemurs 316
Old Lemurs 324
Peculiar Tooth Homologies of the Greater Bamboo Lemur ( Prolemur = Hapalemur simus) 340
How Big were the ‘‘Giant’’ Extinct Lemurs of Madagascar? 348
Ghosts and Orphans 366
Vicariance vs. Dispersal in the Origin of the Malagasy Mammal Fauna 401
On the Brink of Extinction 413
Subject Index 447

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 3.12.2007
• Reihe/Serie: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects
• Reihe/Serie: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects
• Zusatzinfo: XIV, 466 p. 161 illus.
• Verlagsort: New York
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Studium ► 1. Studienabschnitt (Vorklinik) ► Biochemie / Molekularbiologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Evolution
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Zoologie
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: Charles Darwin • Darwin • Evolution • Fauna • Primate Behavior • Primates • the origin
• ISBN-10: 0-387-73896-7 / 0387738967
• ISBN-13: 978-0-387-73896-3 / 9780387738963