New-York tribune., 1884-11-28
THE GENESIS OF LIFE.
..,,y CONDITIONS AT THE TWO POLES.


a.. Edttor OF The Trsos~s.
70 the relative position of the earth 10 the
" On. hso;uuing Of organic life on this planet,
- .ho,t the same rs il s now lanc we nave no as
.,.,ro,u,cal indications to the contrary'. ana SUN
~ -. AZ the earth's surface was the only
o,0"' ....,,,;., waited for. for such beginnin g
oao '';.a,o, las we have every reason to believe
II h sxcmatc 70 the logical scientific
- ara, the first mitabe temperature, and, con-
,,v the first vegetable and animal life on the
rI ...grred at or near the poles; for there the
~s;.,;og and escaping Inherent heat OF the earth
=. have been least replenished aud kept up by
sns heat of the sun This rst life on the globc. at
80, t,me. whether on land in the sea. would
,starally be very different from that now existing
=. 4 would be, both vegetable and animal. as hot
cma;ed as it could be- to exist at all. and of ma
turs. Whatever that would be- corresponding to six
months ct time of comparative solar winter aud
summer and six months at . time of night and day,
all in the presenS for long duration of time. of
high inherent surface hesa literally causing high
house conditions in all respects the year round
and as q whole, suggesting a polar carboniferous
period similar to that universally ana unnistak-
ably evidenced by its many fossils in all explored
lower ATTITUDES. As the polar regions after having
become cool enough to be the scenes of organic te
would continue gradually to cool faster than the
rest of the surface OF the earth account OF not
receiving as much heat from the suns rays, this
polar life initiated at and adapted TO the highest
living temperature woud eventually, by reason OF
the general codness and the long, severe winters
ensuing gradually dwindle and mostly die out, near
the poles, while at the same time similar and
somewhat more advanced life would naturally
spring up, from both polar realms. toward the
EQUATOR. as fast as the earth would cool in that
sfoolf IN, ha nor
seasons, the shorter days and nights, ETC., and de-
veoping In the of time into the most prolific
belt of life on the equator the average central track
Of the SUM- as all life the earth would finally be-
come dependent solar heat alone, as the case now
70.
POLAR TEMPERATURES.
II is interesting to speculate and to investigate as
20 what fossil remains of this first polar life may
now lie buried in the geological formations beneath
the perpetual ice and snow OF the modern Arctic
and Antarctic zones: what difference. If any. there
NAV be between the fossils OF the two poles. orgi
paly no doubt as entirely separate and distinct in
their fora and fauna rs two different planets; and
how gradually aud intimately thew may now blend,
% we have good ro1son to believe they do blend,
with the known fossils of the periods or tier
correspon ing periods, in the explored regions of
lower latt udes. In this inquiry it must be taken
south Pole. at the time OF its midsummer. IN the
earths per helon Is some three million miles nearer
the sun than the North Pole at the time Of its mid
summer IN the earth's aphelion. making difference
Of about one teenth of the average absolute
amount OF solar heat at the North Poe In favor Of
the higher temperature of the South Pce, during
the respective midsumners; while. on the other
hand. for similar though opposite reasons. the
South Pole would have correspondngly colder
winter. In aphelon. than the North Pole In
perihelion. thus giving the Southern hemisphere
the earhcr original cooling lfor the Garth whole
aud in every part as We shall see. lost heat faster
than IL received II from the sum and tho greater
extremes OF heat and cold. and the Northern hem,
isphere the lator original cooling and the more
squable climate Ia the hery genesis OF tho easths
career. the seething South Pole would be swath'
lngly rotated the cooling base of tho dark cone
of the months spheiion winter night three |
million miles farther from the sun than where the
North Pole went into winter quarters, and in
region Of one-slxteenth less solar heat than the
North Pole experienced In It's winters. Though. on
tho other hand. the South Pole. in its summers.
presented Itself three million miles nearest the SUM-
snd la ous-six teenth more solar heat than the
North Pole did still We know that the whole
'arth In every part was constantly growing colder
Dy the ioss of internal heat. and. of course. that
position of greatest coldness cold tue fastest.
Thus the South Pole. ON account of It's apheon
winter. peculiar and exclusive to ITSELF would reach
comparatively cool temperature, and one
ndueive of the simplest and warmest forms Of
,rganlc life, many years aud, perhaps, many ages,
before the North Pole would IN It's less heat vast
ng position the waste OF heat from the earth
II that time. in ornament of wasted heat, would
'e very slow, and a little difference of position, As
o exposure to the cooler regions. would make "a |
reAt difference in time The South Pole. too with
Is onesxteenth cooler winters and one teenth
warmer summers than the North Pole. making
ne eighth wider range of temperature than that of
lie North Pole would of course have much greater {
xtremes Of heat and cold than the North Pole :
esulting no doubt in other differences Of
henomena, such ss greater evaporations and
and consequently more ram, and,
hen the frost era would eventually set in, more
xtensve glaciers In the winters, and more ex- .
'nsiye thaws in the summers. with an increased !
ioence of storms. perhaps on account of an :
lcreased density of atmosphere the earth gen. =
rally cooled. .
EARLY LIFE AT THE POLES.
The organic life that could barely into exist
Ice. for the heat and darkness at FIRST In the vet
Of winters Of the South Pole. would no doubt be
lighted by the ensuing hotter summers, thus max q
g ali life at rst perhaps winter-annual in its ex
tence. that is on account Of the heat capable of
listing only during the winter, many genera =
'w exist only during the summer. Then, as both ;,
10 winters and summers became cooler, by the q
IS of surface heat and the cool cap or zone ex- d
nded down every side tovard the equator. r
Nv and cooler orders of life no doubt successfully
rang up at and near the south Pole as it still 9,
'oied. while the older and warmer orders. with a.
any new oiferentasions and Developments no q,
'uot. went with their original temperature and n
innate toward the equator. When these reached a,
nc equator. OF met the line of organized life that
ould now also he coming from the North poI.
nd the cold at the poles had become 80 severe "a IN h