New Fossil Find (broadcast Friday, August 10th, 2007)

The Homo erectus skull in side view, after painstaking preparation to remove the sandstone. National Museums of Kenya/F. Spoor

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 In this segment, Ira talks with a member of the research team, whose findings are being published this week in the journal Nature. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.