This research intersects with our other research - also out this week @RSocPublishing at dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.2304… led by @SwellanPinto and @mareikecora on the genetic basis of ethanol metabolism in mammals with different diets.

We (innovated by coauthor Matthew Carrigan) adapted a handheld police-grade breathalyzer to measure ethanol vapours in wild fruits on site. This tech is enabling a large collaborative world wide survey of fruit ethanol (keep 👀 for more on this in future)

However, we identify signatures of local adaptation on chemosensory genes within each geographic region. We identified significant trait associations for 35 SNPs, including those linked to potentially relevant traits such as intake of meat, coffee and fresh fruit 6/7

We predicted we would find evidence of relaxed selection on chemosensory genes in agricultural populations. However, our results do not support this prediction 5/7

We explore the effects of subsistence behaviors on olfactory (OR) and taste (TASR) receptor genes through collaborative research with individuals across populations in Uganda (Twa, Sua, BaKiga) and the Philippines (Agta, Mamanwa, Manobo) with differing subsistence histories 4/7

This project took some persistence (pic from early planning!), but was a real pleasure working w co-leads Carrie Veilleux @cupcakes4lemurs, Eva Garrett @Shmevapithecus & Petar Pajic @PetarPajic93, & co-senior author Omer Gokcumen & whole team (incl. @grg_perry, @marie_saitou) 2/7

It’s been a privilege hosting visiting researcher Valeria Villero from Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica the last 2 weeks. She’s been training on RNA extractions (and hockey), & will continue research in Costa Rica for our NSF funded project with @cupcakes4lemurs & @muchmagda

Yes- often dreamed of a “Dr. No” style conveyor wash after field work 😂.

Our hope is our review provides an introduction to primate sensory ecology, celebrates achievements that have emerged in last decades, and inspires future research that seeks to understand how primates use hearing, vision, touch, taste & smell to navigate their environments 8/8

In my favourite section, we discuss physical & biological landscapes features linked to availability & quality of sensory information (Fig 6). Vision is well studied but future study of odor-scapes, taste-scapes, & touch-scapes will shed new light on primate specializations. 7/n

Also, touch remains a neglected sense, despite its centrality in hypotheses of primate evolution, and its importance in food selection. We hope to stimulate new interest in exploring primate manual and buccal touch and present ideas for a comparative framework in Figure 5. 6/n