Numerous factors have stimulated new enthusiasm for understanding the process of primate origins, including new fossil discoveries, improvements to methods for analyzing molecular data, and technological advances. These novel approaches have led to a better appreciation of the complexities of early primate evolution. Eight fundamental questions provide a framework for thinking about these issues. Among these topics are the phylogenetic position of Primates in Mammalia and the membership of particular fossil groups in the order. Also of central interest are questions about early primate ecology and anatomy such as the ancestral body mass, diet, locomotor mode, interactions with predators, and brain size and form. And finally, considerations of the paleontological record need to be informed by the most relevant living models, which help flesh out the story that is being told by fossils. Although much is known about all of these areas, fundamental questions still remain.

中文翻译：

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灵长类起源研究的主要问题

许多因素激发了人们对了解灵长类起源过程的新热情，包括新的化石发现、分子数据分析方法的改进以及技术进步。这些新颖的方法使人们更好地了解早期灵长类动物进化的复杂性。八个基本问题为思考这些问题提供了一个框架。这些主题包括灵长类动物在哺乳动物中的系统发育位置和特定化石群在该目中的成员资格。同样重要的是关于早期灵长类动物生态学和解剖学的问题，例如祖先的体重、饮食、运动模式、与捕食者的相互作用以及大脑的大小和形式。最后，古生物学记录的考虑需要由最相关的生活模型提供信息，这有助于充实化石所讲述的故事。尽管对所有这些领域都了解很多，但基本问题仍然存在。