Asked and Answered: Why Haven’t All Primates Evolved Into Humans?

Many people mistakenly think of evolution as progress. But humans, despite their ability to manipulate objects and change their environment, are not “on top” of the world’s species. Research by Lynn Isbell, chair of the UC Davis Department of Anthropology, suggests that ancestral humans and other primates developed different strategies to find food and avoid predators.

UC Davis Anthropologist Named President-elect of the American Society of Primatologists

UC Davis anthropologist Lynne Isbell, who studies the behavior, ecology and evolutionary history of primates, is the new president-elect of the American Society of Primatologists (ASP).

Isbell, professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology in the College of Letters and Science, assumed the elected position during the society’s Aug. 8-11 meeting in San Antonio, Texas. After serving a two-year term, she will become ASP president in August 2020.

Psychologist Honored for Early Career Contributions

The American Psychological Association recently selected Assistant Professor Eliza Bliss-Moreau for a 2018 Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology for her research on the biological underpinnings of emotion.