{"id":122862,"date":"2025-08-06T06:00:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T06:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/122862\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T06:00:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T06:00:09","slug":"fossil-evidence-reveals-early-primates-evolved-in-cold-climates-not-tropical-forests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/122862\/","title":{"rendered":"Fossil evidence reveals early primates evolved in cold climates, not tropical forests"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"'Arctic<\/p>\n

The common ancestor of Primates was found in a cold climate within North America. (A), world paleomap with the K\u00f6ppen-Geiger main climates of 66 million years ago. White circles on the map are the posterior distribution of coordinates for the common ancestor (white circle on the tree). These coordinates were inferred using the Geo model with paleomap restrictions. We ran four Geo models, restricting the location to be either in North America, Africa, Asia, or Europe. (B), mean annual paleotemperature extracted from the posterior distribution of coordinates across each continent. The continental locations are ordered by their marginal likelihood inferred by steppingstones (numbers in squared brackets), with the best fit model on top given the Bayes Factor model comparison. Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073\/pnas.2423833122<\/p>\n

Primates\u2014the group of animals that includes monkeys, apes and humans\u2014first evolved in cold, seasonal climates around 66 million years ago, not in the warm tropical forests scientists previously believed.<\/p>\n

Researchers from the University of Reading used statistical modeling and fossil data to reconstruct ancient environments and trace where the common ancestors of all modern primates lived.<\/p>\n

The study, published<\/a> in the journal PNAS, says these first primates most likely lived in North America in a cold climate<\/a> with hot summers and freezing winters, overturning the long-held “warm tropical forest hypothesis” that has long influenced evolutionary biology.<\/p>\n

Jorge Avaria-Llautureo, lead author at the University of Reading, said, “For decades, the idea that primates evolved in warm, tropical forests has gone unquestioned. Our findings flip that narrative entirely. It turns out primates didn’t emerge from lush jungles\u2014they came from cold, seasonal environments in the northern hemisphere.<\/p>\n

“Understanding how ancient primates survived climate change helps us think about how living species might respond to modern climate change<\/a> and environmental changes.”<\/p>\n

Moving to survive<\/p>\n

Primates that could travel far when their local weather<\/a> changed quickly were better at surviving and having babies that lived to become new species.<\/p>\n

When primates moved to completely different, more stable climates, they traveled much further distances\u2014about 561 kilometers on average compared to just 137 kilometers for those staying in similar, unstable climates. Early primates may have survived freezing winters by hibernating like bears do today\u2014slowing down their heart rate<\/a> and sleeping through the coldest months to save energy. Some small primates still do this\u2014dwarf lemurs in Madagascar dig themselves underground and sleep for several months when it gets too cold, protecting themselves from freezing temperatures under layers of roots and leaves.<\/p>\n

Primates didn’t reach tropical forests until millions of years later. They started in cold places, then moved to mild climates, then to dry desert-like areas, and finally made it to the hot, wet jungles where we find them today. When local temperatures or rainfall changed quickly in any direction, primates<\/a> were forced to find new homes, which helped create new species.<\/p>\n

More information:<\/strong>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJorge Avaria-Llautureo et al, The radiation and geographic expansion of primates through diverse climates, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073\/pnas.2423833122<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProvided by
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUniversity of Reading<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCitation<\/strong>:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFossil evidence reveals early primates evolved in cold climates, not tropical forests (2025, August 5)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 6 August 2025
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-08-fossil-evidence-reveals-early-primates.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
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