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Research on Miocene Hominoids and Hominid Origins

The Last Three Decades

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Function, Phylogeny, and Fossils

Part of the book series: Advances in Primatology ((AIPR))

Abstract

This brief commentary begins with my graduate work with Elwyn Simons which culminated in the 1965 “Preliminary Revision of the Dryopithecinae,” then about the most comprehensive review of the paleontological record of the great apes (Simons and Pilbeam, 1965). It reflected a time when that fossil record was dominated by teeth and fragmentary jaws, one decent skull, and a handful of postcranial remains. Much has changed since then, both in the record itself and in how it is interpreted, and what follows are reflections on where we are, how we got here, and where we might go next.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA

    David Pilbeam

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  1. David Pilbeam
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  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, M5S 3G3, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    David R. Begun

  2. Anthropology and Pathology & Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, 65211, Columbia, Missouri, USA

    Carol V. Ward

  3. Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Injury Science, New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 07103, Newark, New Jersey, USA

    Michael D. Rose

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Pilbeam, D. (1997). Research on Miocene Hominoids and Hominid Origins. In: Begun, D.R., Ward, C.V., Rose, M.D. (eds) Function, Phylogeny, and Fossils. Advances in Primatology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0075-3_2

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