The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences awarded a $115,140 Project Grant under the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences program (CFDA 47.075) to Stony Brook University. The grant supports a 3-year collaborative research project to uncover the adaptive origins of fossil apes through a multidisciplinary approach. The key products and services to be delivered include:
- Collecting fossil primate and other animal specimens through extensive field surveys, excavations, and collections at a Middle Miocene site that has yielded ape-like fossils. 2) Establishing the phylogenetic relationships of the fossil primate forms found at the site. 3) Determining the precise geochronology of the site's geological sequence. 4) Reconstructing the paleoenvironment and paleoecology of the Miocene apes through analyses of stable isotopes, paleosols, and paleobotany. 5) Analyzing the adaptations, community structure, and biogeographic affinities of the associated mammalian fauna.
The project aims to expand knowledge of the Middle Miocene primate fossil record and provide critical context for understanding the environmental and ecological shifts that accompanied the origins of the African apes and humans. The award also includes plans for subawards and incorporates public outreach and student training components.
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