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Related Concept Videos

The Fossil Record02:56

The Fossil Record

The fossil record documents only a small fraction of all organisms that have ever inhabited Earth. Fossilization is a rare process, and most organisms never become fossils. Moreover, the fossil record only exhibits fossils that have been discovered. Nevertheless, sedimentary rock fossils of long-lived, abundant, hard-bodied organisms dominate the fossil record. These fossils offer valuable information, such as an organism's physical form, behavior, and age. Studying the fossil record helps...
Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.The structures that arise from convergent evolution are called analogous structures. They are similar in function even if they are dissimilar in structure. Further, structures can be analogous while also...
Eukaryotic Evolution01:24

Eukaryotic Evolution

The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
Speciation Rates01:07

Speciation Rates

Speciation can proceed at markedly different rates, and evolutionary biologists commonly describe these differences through the models of gradualism and punctuated equilibrium. Both patterns explain how new species arise, but they differ in the tempo and continuity of evolutionary change. In both cases, evolutionary change arises from heritable variation within populations, with natural selection often shaping traits that improve survival and reproduction under specific environmental conditions.
Genetics of Speciation02:16

Genetics of Speciation

Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.The genetics of speciation involves the different traits or isolating mechanisms preventing gene exchange, leading to reproductive isolation. Reproductive isolation can be due to reproductive barriers that have effects either before or after the formation of a zygote. Pre-zygotic mechanisms prevent fertilization from occurring, and post-zygotic mechanisms...
The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes02:40

The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes

The “tree of life” describes the evolution of life and the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The root of the tree is the common ancestor to all life on Earth. All other species radiate from this point, much like the branches of a tree. The numerous tips of these branches on the tree of life represent every living, or extant, species. Extinct species, which are species that no longer exist, can be found towards the center of the tree. Currently, these organisms, both extant and...

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Reverse Dissection and DiceCT Reveal Otherwise Hidden Data in the Evolution of the Primate Face
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Reverse Dissection and DiceCT Reveal Otherwise Hidden Data in the Evolution of the Primate Face

Published on: January 7, 2019

Early Eocene primates from Gujarat, India.

Kenneth D Rose1, Rajendra S Rana, Ashok Sahni

  • 1Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA. kdrose@jhmi.edu

Journal of Human Evolution
|March 24, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The oldest Indian primates, dating to 53 million years ago, reveal early primate evolution and dispersal. New fossils suggest these ancient primates may have originated from Western Europe.

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Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Primate Evolution
  • Biogeography

Background:

  • The Vastan Mine in Gujarat, India, has yielded the oldest known Indian euprimates from the Early Eocene Cambay Formation.
  • These fossils, dated to approximately 53 million years ago (Ypresian), are contemporaneous with or predate the India-Asia collision.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe new euprimate fossils from the Vastan Mine, including adapoids and omomyids.
  • To investigate the phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic origins of early Indian primates.

Main Methods:

  • Fossil analysis of teeth, jaws, and postcrania.
  • Comparative morphology with European and Asian primate taxa.
  • Biostratigraphic dating using foraminifera.

Main Results:

  • New fossils of adapoids Marcgodinotius indicus and Asiadapis cambayensis are described, placed in the new subfamily Asiadapinae (Notharctidae).
  • Asiadapines show similarities to European cercamoniines and possess traits linking them to Asian sivaladapids.
  • A new species of omomyid, Vastanomys, is described, and postcranial elements suggest arboreal quadrupedalism.
  • The presence of potential eosimiids is discussed, though their attribution is equivocal and may represent Marcgodinotius indicus.

Conclusions:

  • Vastan adapoids likely originated from Western European stock that dispersed to India near the Paleocene-Eocene boundary.
  • The findings contribute to understanding early primate evolution and faunal exchange between continents.