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The Monkey’s Skull

Abstract

A primate skull found during archaeological survey in the White Mountains of eastern California in 1986 provides a new perspective on the early years of the U.S. space program. The individual, a pig­tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina), probably a young male, was part of a research program to understand the likely physiological effects of space ight on primates. Among several possible scenarios, the most likely is that this animal managed to escape from laboratory captivity, only to be killed by a coyote or mountain lion. I presented this paper in the 2011 SAA session honoring the accomplishments of my close friend and colleague C. William Clewlow, Jr. While Billy and the primate described here were both pioneers, they were more importantly rebels, unwilling to accept limits others wanted to impose upon them. This turned out well for Billy; for the macaque not so much.

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