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Human Evolution Studies Lab
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The lab considers the evolution of human nature through the ecology and societies of wild primates.
AboutAbout the lab
Seeking the origins of humanness in wild monkeys and apes.
The Human Evolution Studies Lab focuses mainly on wild primates other than humans, aiming to clarify their ecology, behavior, and societies and to consider the process of hominization and the evolution of human nature.
Centered on fieldwork, the lab also uses molecular ecology methods.
Studying subjects ranging from great apes such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans to monkeys only distantly related to humans, the lab explores the origins of human behavior.
Faculty members and students freely choose their own topics and study subjects according to their interests, and carry out research at field sites in Japan and abroad.
Key terms
- Hominization
- The evolutionary process by which the ancestors of humans acquired human-like characteristics
- Great apes
- Large apes close to humans, including chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans
- Molecular ecology
- The field that uses molecules such as DNA as clues to study the ecology of organisms and the relationships within populations
NewsLab news
Paper published on humidity-related behavioral thermoregulation in wild Japanese macaques
Paper published on the spatiotemporal coordination of group movements in patas monkeys
Paper published on the behavioral development of wild red foxes on the Notsuke Peninsula, Hokkaido
Assistant Professor Hiroya Tamura received the Takashima Prize from the Primate Society of Japan
ResearchResearch themes
Focusing mainly on wild primates other than humans, and using fieldwork as the central method along with molecular ecology methods, the lab aims to clarify their ecology, behavior, and societies and to consider hominization and the evolution of human nature.
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MembersFaculty
The members of the Human Evolution Studies Lab consist of faculty members, JSPS research fellows and researchers, and doctoral and master's students.As of 2026
- ProfessorMichio Nakamura
- Assistant ProfessorMasaya Tamura
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Chimpanzee in the wild variation” D.G.Kulakov https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:D.G.Kulakov&action=edit&redlink=1 / CC0 (cropped)
- Ecology, Behavior, and Societies of Wild Primates: “Chimpanzee grooming close up - DPLA - d934fd54f7bbda20a2f20827b80cc30e” Garst, Warren, , photographer / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kyoto University Wildlife Research Center – Mitani Lab): “Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus monteriensis) females Tofino” Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kyoto University Institute for the Evolution of Human Behavior (Katsuki Nakamura) Lab): “PSM V42 D022 Monkey brain displaying motor areas” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Kyoto University Museum Lab): “Kyoto University Museum” J o / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kyoto University Institute for the Evolution of Human Behavior (Eishi Hirasaki) Lab): “Coquerel's sifaka lemur (Propithecus coquereli) terrestrial locomotion” Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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