Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-05-09
EklAkScience
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The "leafiess acacia is peculiar tree
that forms forests In Australia. The
tree has no leaves, but respires through
little stem answering the purpose of
leaf.
The little lizard called the gecko has
been supposed to cling to the ceiling
like the housefly, by means of suctorial
discs ut the ends of the toes. This
proves to be incorrect and DR.. Schmidt
has found that the underside Of the toe
scales have clusters Of halr-like cree
tile bodies by which the animal seems
to cling. 1t is now believed that the
holding power Is due to electricity.
About fifteen years ago an extraor.
binary account was given of an East
Indian ant (Oecophylla smaragdina)
that fastened the leaves of its nest with
threads spun by its own larvae. The
much doubted report has been confirm
ed by late observations of o. Dofiein
In Ceylon and e. Goeldi in Brazil. Do.
hein slightly tore nest, when five or
six ants arranged themselves in a
straight rowand slowly pulled the edges
of the leaves together, while others
cleared away the pieces. Other workers
then appeared, each carrying larva
In Its mandibles. The larvae were used
as distaffs and shuttles, and soon fine
threads bound the leaves together and
were crossed In firm web.
One of the most rarely witnessed of
natural phenomena, but one that has
often been discussed in scientific jour
nails, and that always awakens wonder
when seen, is the so-culled green flash"
occasionally visible at the moment of
the disappearance of the sun behind q
clear horizon. The observers eyes must
be fixed upon the rim of the sun as it
disappears in order to catch the phe
nomenon. An officer of the British
navy says that he has seen the green
flash, although rarely, at the instant of
setting of bright star. Among the
explanations offered is one based upon
the optical principle of Complementary
colors. If one looks ut the sun and then
closes the eyes, green disk will be per.
ceiyed. A sensitive eye might be simi.
larry affected by a brilliant star.
A Jet of burning oxygen from blow
pipe is now successfully employed to
cut sheet iron, iron tubes and small
bars. The cut made is almost as sharp
and thin as that made by a saw. In
the earlier experiments difficulty was
encountered in clearing the cut of liquid
metal and in preventing the spread of
the melting effect beyond the borders
of the cut. In the process as now prac-
ticed two blowpipes are employed. The
first has an ordinary oxhydrogen fame,
which heats the iron to redness at the
place where the cut is to be made. This
is followed Immediately by the second
Jet, composed of pure oxygen, which
instantly burns the metal without melt
ing. The liquidiZed iron is blown swift
ly from the assure, SO that there is no
serious spreading of the heat to the
surrounding parts.
The transmutatlon of metals--so
much ridiculed few years ago-is now
eAiOut3Ais " NC tuhih6 pave III
but the modern alchemist is still as
powerless as was the ancient one to
bring it about by artificial means. IL
it ever becomes practicable the val.
liable product will be the energy re.
leased as electricity or in other form.
f. Soddy points out that the energy of
some hundreds of tons of coal would
have to be put into an ounce of silver
to convert 1t into gold; but that more
probable change would be from heavy
element like lead, the operation yield.
ing energy Of great value, with the gold
as an unimportant by-product. A sim.
liar extraction Is going on at our great
power stations power, steam
aud gas. The fuel or high potential
water is converted into baser products,
and the process abstracts valuable en-.
ergy that is converted Into useful forms