Can coal help make the US more energy independent? Advocates say the United States is the "Saudi Arabia of coal," and that there's enough coal available here to supply our power for at least 250 years. Critics say burning more coal would be a disaster for our health and the environment. So is coal the energy of the future, or a thing of the past? In this hour, we'll take a look at coal, including technology proponents say can make burning coal cleaner.

Plus, a look at new research into how dolphins communicate. A new study says that bottlenose dolphins may call each other by name when they whistle, and that other dolphons may be able to associate these names with specific animals. We'll talk about it, and what it tells us about animal communication. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Laela Sayigh
Visiting Investigator
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Research Associate Professor
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina

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Jeff Goodell
Author, "Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future" (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)
Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone
Saratoga Springs, New York

Joe Lucas
Executive Director
Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (learnaboutcoal.org)
Alexandria, Virginia

Books/Articles Discussed:

Janik V. M., Sayigh L. S.& Wells R. S. . Proc. Natl Acad. Sci., doi:01.1073/pnas.0509918103 (2006).

"Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America's Energy Future," by Jeff Goodell. " Houghton Mifflin, 2006.

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This segment produced by Annette Heist