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Guest Editors: Timothy D. Smith, Callum F. Ross, Nathaniel J. Dominy, Jeffery T. Laitman

This special issue of The Anatomical Record on the Evolution of the special senses in primates presents state-of-the-art research and reviews on central aspects of how members of our extended family perceive and interact with the world. The issue has been guest-edited by Timothy Smith, Callum Ross, and Nathaniel Dominy, three functional morphologists who bring to the table not only breadth and depth in their areas of anatomical expertise, but a collective energy to place their, and their colleagues', studies into an all-important evolutionary context. The focus of these articles - based on a recent symposium of the same name held at the 2004 annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists in Tampa, Florida - is the traditionally held special senses, i.e., those for sight, hearing, smell, and taste. These senses have commonly been considered together as they employ specialized sensory receptors in the eye, ear, nose, and taste buds to transmit external stimuli via cranial nerves to brain centers wherein they are registered as sensations. While the issue centers on the evolution of the special senses, the larger topic of general somatosensory evolution is covered in some of the articles as well, thus putting the special senses in a broader functional and evolutionary context.

Jeffrey T. Laitman

These articles are provided free online by Wiley-Liss, Inc., the publishers of The Anatomical Record as a service to the scientific community.

Page updated November 4, 2004