Introduction to the Special Issue

This is the first part of a special issue on niche construction, plasticity, and inclusive inheritance in the context of the extended evolutionary synthesis. In this part there are seven contributions: Benitez, R.A., Murray, J.K., Anton, S.C.: Introduction to the special issue: niche construction, plasticity, and inclusive inheritance: rethinking human origins with the extended evolutionary synthesis, part 1 Lala, K.N., O’Brien, M.J.: The cultural contribution to evolvability Smail, I.E.: Community niches and evolution of generalist primates: a preliminary assessment of Plio-Pleistocene Cercopithecidae Stock, J.T., Will, M., Wells, J.C.K.: The extended evolutionary synthesis and distributed adaptation in the genus Homo: phenotypic plasticity and behavioral adaptability Sterelny, K.: Niche construction, cumulative culture, and the social transmission of expertise Goodrum, M.R.: Reconceiving paleoanthropology in the era of the modern evolutionary synthesis Tattersall, I.: Let sleeping syntheses lie