Last week at a conference of small business owners, President Bush spoke of programs and technologies to make the country more energy independent. Some were ways to increase energy production. Others, however, were technologies that would cut energy use. In this hour we'll take a look at promoting energy efficiency. What can we do lessen our appetite for oil? And why is it that more people don't use existing technologies to reduce energy consumption, from more efficient cars to energy-sipping appliances? We'll talk about it.

This artist's conception shows the bird-like feathered
Falcarius utahensis. Copyright: Mike Skrepnick

Plus, a new dinosaur find--of a dino on a diet. We'll talk about a Utah discovery of a previously unknown feathered dinosaur that appears to have been switching to a vegetarian lifestyle. The find is reported in the journal Nature. Researchers say the animal appears to have been the first of the therizinosaurs, a type of plant-eating dinosaur. However, the newly discovered creature still retained some features of its meat-eating heritage. We'll talk about the discovery, and what paleontologists can learn from it.

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:
James Kirkland
State Paleontologist
Utah Geological Survey
Salt Lake City, Utah
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Bill Prindle
Deputy Director and Director of Policy Programs
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
Washington, DC

Tom Mast
Author, "Over a Barrel: A Simple Guide to the Oil Shortage" (Hayden Publishing, 2005.)
Austin, Texas

Sherwood Boehlert
Representative, New York, 24th District
Chairman, House Science Committee
Utica, New York

Books/Articles Discussed:

"Over a Barrel: A Simple Guide to the Oil Shortage," by Tom Mast. Hayden Publishing, 2005.

"A primitive therizinosauroid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Utah." Kirkland J. I., Zanno L. E., Sampson S. D., Clark J. M. & Beblieux D. D. Nature, 434. 84 - 87 (2005).

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This segment produced by Charles Bergquist and Todd Neale