Changes in primate teeth linked to rise of monkeys
Monday, July 11, 2016 - 16:01
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Searching for simple inherited dental characteristics that could lead to genes controlling tooth development, researchers have uncovered an easy-to-measure trait that tracks primate evolution over the last 20 million years, shedding light on the mysterious decline of apes and the rise of monkeys 8 million years ago. The research shows that monkeys diversified and took over the dentition niche of the majority of apes. Apes with outlying dentition, including human ancestors, remained.