First-Ever International Symposium on Primate Origins and Adaptations

这次名为“灵长类起源”的国际会议的主要目的是聚集一系列目前正在进行关于灵长目（人类，猿，猴和原猴亚目）独特适应性特征的新研究的专家。灵长类动物与其他哺乳动物的区别在于头骨和四肢的几个特征，最明显的是可对生的大脚趾，脚趾上的指甲而不是爪子，更大的大脑，负责嗅觉的器官减少，以及更大的更会聚的眼睛，这些眼睛受到眼窝周围额外骨骼的保护。这次会议将利用古生物学家和研究活灵长类动物的专家的专业知识，对第一批灵长类动物的适应性进行一次迟到已久的全面重新评估。我们将首次全面分析灵长类动物进化这一重要而有趣的阶段中明显的形态和行为转变的适应性意义，这也将有助于更全面地了解高等灵长类动物后期进化过程中发生的转变的基础。

The primary objective of this international conference entitled "Primate Origins" is to assemble a series of experts who are currently performing novel research concerning the unique adaptive characteristics of the Order Primates (the taxonomic group to which humans, apes, monkeys, and prosimians belong). Primates are distinguished from other mammals by several traits of the skull and limbs, most notably the opposable big toe, nails instead of claws on the digits, larger brains, reduction of the organs responsible for the sense of smell, and larger more convergent eyes which are protected by additional bone around the sockets. This conference will provide a long-overdue comprehensive reassessment of the adaptations of the first primates utilizing the expertise of both paleontologists and those who study living primates. We will provide the first comprehensive analysis of the adaptive significance of pronounced morphological and behavioral transformations during this important and interesting stage of primate evolution which will also facilitate a fuller understanding of groundwork for the transformations that took place during the later evolution of higher primate.