For those upset about today’s high gas prices, or that our nation imports its oil from overseas, there now comes hope that new technologies will help us become more energy independent. And while many are hip on wind or solar power, two scientists at Columbia University say it’s liquid fuels derived from, believe it or not, coal that may free the world from its heavy reliance on oil. As written in the World Peace Herald, these scientists say that existing technologies can mix coal with oxygen and steam at high temperatures, convert it into a gas and then a liquid, and produce fuel for cars at around forty dollars a barrel. With one South African firm already doing just that, maybe coal can be used to cook up a solution to our energy dilemma.