The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-02-18
Popular Science.

The deepest hole in the world
has been bored in Silesia. It has
reached depth of $500 feet, and
passes through eighty-three beds
of coal
Knowing the average diameter
of Jupiter, as we'll as that of the
earth, it can be shown by little
calculation that so far as bulk is
concerned, not fewer than 1880
globes, each as large as the earth,
should be rolled together into one
to form single globe as big as
Jupiter.
The red-colored snow frequently
mentioned in scientific reports of
polar expeditions, and formerly
deemed of miraculous origin, is
now known to be colored by mi
mute vegetable organism, which is
sometimes found in enormous
quantities, and which grows to
perfection at temperature below
freezing.
A tree grows in perfect balance
on every side. When a large
branch shoots out on one side, one
of equal size or two smaller appear
on the other. The roots are bal
anced in the same way, large
branch on one side being matched
by a large root. The centre of
gravity is thus always maintained.
In moles the forelimbs have
been entirely transformed for the
purposes of subterranean life.
They live really exclusively under
ground, coming only occasionally
above the surface, and then rather
by accident than by design. Moles
build very complicated nests, with
many spiral turns. These spiral
nests have numerous tunnels run
ming off in various directions.
Our industrious lungs, having
only rest of about one second be-
tween each respiration, have six
hundred millions Of air cells, with
an average of five very minute
blood vessels on their outer sur
face, or total of three billions, to
receive the inspired air and to
renovate the blood At each in
SEPARATION these air cells are more
or less filled with air, the oxygen
being of more special Importance
in this publication of the blood.
Even the lower animals, accord
ing to a writer in Popular Science
News, are not exempt from at
tacks of insanity. Instances are
given of cattle working themselves
into frenzy while being driven
through crowded town, and of
horses seized with an apparently
uncomfortable impulse to murder
Gus fury. A scientist of authority
even goes so far, the writer says,
as to insist, on what appears to be
lncontestible evidence, that cats,
dogs and monkeys have been OBJ
served to have delusions very SINH
lar to those of insane people.
When the Cornell scientific
party was in Greenland last sum-
mer an extensive collection of bot
anical specimens was made, but as
nearly all the species were new to
the collectors, it was not known
how valuable the collection was.
AS it turns out, practically all are
rare and valuable. AS there are
many duplicates, the National
Museum at Washington and the
museums Of the various universe
ties will be enriched as we'll as
that of Cornell. There are in the
collection specimens of full-grown
forest trees less than three inches
in height.
The number of species of plants
which have become extinct is very
large, and yet generic groups
rarely die out. Comparative re-
searches show that much the great
er proportion of plants whose re-
mains have been preserved in a
fossil condition from earlier geo.
logic periods belong to the genera
which are represented by plants
now living, although many of
these existing plants differ specifi-
cally from the earlier ones. From
this it seems that new types are
outgrowing the old ones constantly
and take their place in the general