A good research program in evolutionary and comparative analysis can inform us about the origins, evolution and functional purposes of key human traits. These are questions that almost every child asks such as who (our closest relatives are), why (we humans have big brains), when (we became human), where (we evolved), what (social traits we share with other animals), and how (we evolved such traits). Interesting answers have been provided by evolutionary and comparative research. The Evolutionary Biology Laboratory continues and extends this research program in a multi-disciplinary project involving the social and biological sciences. Firstly, Farhan and Ian are reconstructing a primate phylogeny with the following goals: 1) to present a comprehensive, robust and well-resolved tree, 2) to address outstanding issues in primate phylogenetics such as the relationships between tarsiers, lemurs, and monkeys, 3) to provide the phylogeny as a firm basis for future comparative primate research. They use existing and new DNA sequences in order to achieve these goals. The laboratory has also used the preliminary phylogeny in comparative analyses of behaviours of interests in primates, with the aim of elucidating human behaviour. Current analyses by Farhan include evolution of social system, sexual dimorphism, sexual anatomy, and cognition.
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