The evolution of monkeys remains a mystery

WHY MONKEYS and apes took separate evolutionary paths has long been a mystery. One widely held theory is that environmental changes that led to more open habitats drove a wedge between these animals, leading the ancestors of monkeys to make do with a less nutritious diet of leaves and those of modern apes to thrive upon fruits and seeds. A study led by John Kappelman of the University of Texas and the late David Rasmussen of Washington University, published this week in PNAS, suggests that this ...