Chapter 4 Discussion & Essay Topics

What Can the Study of Primates Tell Us about Human Beings?
  1. Are there any dangers in anthropomorphizing (ascribing human traits) to non-human primates?
  1. What are the distinct physical or biological features that distinguish primates as an order?
  1. Discuss what we know about Miocene primates. Is there one particular primate that is a definitive human ancestor?
  1. Discuss three evolutionary trends/patterns among primates.
  1. Primatologist Linda Fedigan at the University of Calgary studies menopause among Japanese macaques. Discuss the results of her study and her hypotheses about early menopause in humans.
  1. What value do studies of non-human primates bring to our understanding of humans?
  1. What are the ethical challenges of using non-human primates for medical research that can help save human lives?
  1. To what degree can non-human primates be trained to use human sign language and symbolic communication?
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