We are studying the adaptation and evolution of primates from i) phylogenetic comparisons of extant primates and ii) reconstruction of the phylogeny and ecology of extinct primate taxa using fossils and other materials recovered from paleontological sites. Research materials include human and non-human primate fossils and other animal and plant fossils associated with them, domestic and foreign human (bio-)archaeological remains, and teeth, muscles, skeletons, and brains of living primates. We have used methods such as comparative anatomy, paleopathology, quantitative morphometrics, biomechanics, and stable isotope analysis. In cooperation with collaborators, we strive to develop young researchers who are active in diverse disciplines.

We are actively conducting fossil excavation surveys overseas in places such as Kenya, Turkey, and Spain. Among them, the excavation of fossil hominids in Kenya is a central project of the laboratory, that has been ongoing for more than 30 years, and we have made many discoveries to rewrite textbooks of paleoanthropology.