'Designer Babies' Debate Should Start, Scientists Say
Rapid progress in genetics is making “designer babies” more likely and society needs to be prepared, leading scientists have told the BBC. Dr Tony Perry, a pioneer in cloning, has…
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Environment, not genes, plays starring role in human immune variation, study finds
A study of twins conducted by Stanford University School of Medicine investigators shows that our environment, more than our heredity, plays the starring role in determining the state of our…
Jessica Lynch Alfaro and Michael E. Alfaro, Published “Spatial and temporal patterns of diversification on the Amazon: A test of the riverine hypothesis for all diurnal primates of Rio Negro and Rio Branco in Brazil”
The study examines whether Amazonian rivers like the Rio Negro and Rio Branco have driven primate speciation, using DNA analysis of nearly all diurnal primate species in the region. The findings support the rivers’ role as barriers to primate distribution, though their effect as active drivers of speciation varies across species.
Jessica Lynch Alfaro and Michale E. Alfaro, Published “Biogeography of the marmosets and tamarins (Callitrichidae)”
Using a time-calibrated phylogeny of 38 taxa, the study finds that the family’s ancestor spanned forested regions across South America roughly 14 million years ago. The findings also support splitting the Saguinus genus into two groups based on body size and geographic patterns.
Jessica Lynch Alfaro and Michael E. Alfaro, Published “Biogeography of squirrel monkeys (genus Saimiri): South-central Amazon origin and rapid pan-Amazonian diversification of a lowland primate”
Using DNA analysis of squirrel monkey samples across the Amazon, the study traces the species’ origin to the Rondônia and Inambari regions in the southern Amazon, with rapid diversification occurring well before the last glacial periods.
Endangered Monkeys in the Amazon Are More Diverse Than Previously Thought, UCLA Study Finds
Research by UCLA life scientists and 50 colleagues sheds new light on the biological differences among more than 150 species of monkeys in South America, many of which are endangered. Their findings could be particularly important in shaping efforts to conserve the biodiversity of primates in South America.