In the standard picture of hominid evolution, Homo habilis gives rise to Homo erectus, with the first disappearing from the scene as the second establishes a hold. Now, researchers working in Kenya report that they've found fossils that could shake up that part of our evolutionary family tree. If the fossil find is correct, Homo habilis did not give rise to Homo erectus -- instead, the two existed at the same time, with Homo erectus and Homo habilis both evolving from a common ancestor 2 to 3 million years ago. We'll talk with a member of the research team, whose findings are being published this week in the journal Nature.

Then, ocean energy. The energy bill currently making its way through Congress includes millions of dollars in funding for research into wave power -- producing electrical energy by harvesting it from the motion of the ocean's waves. It's not just a ripple in the pond -- some renewable energy experts believe there is enough energy in ocean waves to provide up to 2 terawatts of electricity. Other teams are exploring tidal power, developing ways to harvest energy from motion of daily tidal flows. In this hour, Ira and guests talk about ocean energy, and what it will take to bring the technology into widespread use.

Finally, a look at new research into bacterial life on Earth. Researchers have been able to extract frozen bacteria from Antarctic ice samples ranging in age from 100,000 years up to eight million years old. Working in a lab, they were able to revive the bacteria -- with warmth and food, the bacterial colonies began to grow again.

The younger bacteria grew much more healthily than the older samples did, however -- a finding that could cast a shadow on some theories of how life got its initial start on Planet Earth. The researchers found that in the Antarctic samples, every 1.1 million years the DNA was chopped in half. If bacteria were to have arrived on Earth riding on a comet or asteroid, the DNA of the organisms would likely have been too corrupted by damage from cosmic rays during their multi-million year voyage to be viable. An article describing the new findings is being published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (2-3 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Fred Spoor
Professor of Evolutionary Anatomy
University College London
London, United Kingdom

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George Taylor
CEO, Ocean Power Technologies, Inc.
Pennington, New Jersey

Sean O'Neill
President, Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition
Washington, DC

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Kay Bidle
Assistant Professor of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey

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This segment produced by Annette Heist