Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-16
From Current Literature.

II planet should have to wait for the
appearance of life couple of million
years after 1t has been ready to receive
In this way we bring the period re-
CURED for the journey of life from one
planet to another or rather from one
planet 10 the nearest star to eighteen
hundred years. One might doubt wheth-
er spores OF bacteria or germs in general
retain their latent life for such a period
~ has been claimed that grains found in
Egyptian sepulchers have shown capabil-
lily OF growth; but the sober critic has
demonstrated that these statements are
exceedingly questionable. Recently a
french scientist, Boudin. stated that he
had FOUND spores of several kinds Of
bacteria in a Roman grave which un-
doubleday have retained their germina-
tive power during eighteen hundred years.
This assertion at any rate does not seem
Distance No Drawback.
Germs of bacteria. therefore. might
possibly keep their life-beariny quality
during the transportation from one plan
etary system to another.
ION their way from our globe, the
germs of life in question would be ex-
posed to strong sunlight. during about
one month. and we know that the most
sunrays kill bacteria and their
spores within comparatively short time
AS the experiments have been carried out,
however. the spores have generally been
placed on some moistened surface MAR
shall Wards experimental These con-
d1tions by no means apply to spores NOV
ing In the interplanetary spaces. Fur
thermore, 1t has been shown by Roux
that the splenic fever spores, which are
quickly killed by sunlight under free ac-
cess of air are not affected at all in va
cuum. Certain spores again sufrer little
If any harm from light All the bota-
n1sts that l have consulted on this point
agree that there is no evidence to the
end that spores travelling through space
would necessarily be killed by sunlight.
ut might further be argued that the
spores. during by far the largest r-rt Of
their journey are exposed to a cold that
they might not endure. When the spores
pass the orbit Of Neptune, their tempera-
ture has gone down to 200 degrees c.
and still further out it is perhaps even
lower. During some recent experiments
at the Jenner Institute in London spores
Of bacteria were kept for twenty hours at
a temperature Of -262 degrees G. in
liquid hydrogen gas; Their power OF ger
mination was not destroyed. Prof. Mac
fayden in London went further still and
showed that heterogeneous kept for six
months at temperature Of 200 degrees
c. In liquid air still would terminate. At
my latest visit in London. I was told
even longer periods with the same re-
suit
ION the contrary. It is not Improbable
that the power of termination will last
vastly longer at temperature lower than
those on EARTH
Extreme Cold Helps.
The loss of this power is no doubt
caused by some chemical ocess and
nearly all such actions proceed at an
enormously slower rate than at higher
temperatures. 1t seems. therefore, not
unlikely that the extreme cold in the in
terstellar space preserves, SO to speak,
the germs Of life SO as to allow q far
more protracted transportation than one
might Judge possible from their behavior
at ordinary temperatures.
smallest earthly organisms If once sep
arated from our globe. would quickly be
dispersed throughout the universe as
seeds are scattered over field. But now
the question arises: How will they be
able to leave the earth against the force
of gravity?
OF course. such tiny and light bodies
would follow the currents of air. A small
particle OF rain very tiny. falls an infinite
fraction of an inch each second at ordi-
nary atmospheric pressure. Hence it Is
easily calculated that a spore Of bacteria
would fall a relatively small number Of
feet per year. Evidently such small par
ticles follow the currents In the atmos-
phere even out into the most rarefied air.
But by the currents Of air they could
never be expelled out Of the atmosphere.
In order to lift them to great heights
we must resort to other forces. Fortu-
nately. we know that electricity will help
us out OF almost any difficulty. On the
vastest heights the northern lights dis
play their luminous brilliance. We be-
dow hA fo1,t -
are caused by discharges from negative
electricity brought with great quantities
OF dust from the sun. The atmosphere Is
there as il saturated with negative cleo
tricity. If therefore the spore in ques-
ton receives a negative charge from the
Dor be driven out into the ether sea.
Travels Of the Spare.
I'VE assume now that electrical charge
as we'll as matter is not Invisible in in
fnitum. but that there exists a minimum
charge which has been determined to be
5x1O-'' electrostatic units.
1T Is not difficult to calculate how
strong the electrical field must be that
Will expel such a charged spore against
per meter will suifice for this purpose
Fields Of this strength are often. almost
normally, observed at the surface Of the
earth in clear air. The electrical field in
the region of the northern lights is in all
probability stronger and Is therefore no
doubt able to expel the electrically
charged spores when they are carried to
this region by currents of air..
1t Is therefore probable that seeds Of
the lowest organisms we know are con-
tinually being scattered out in space from
the earth and from other planets inhab-
tied by life. But like germs in general.
by far the greater portion Of these will
perish In the cold Infinite space. A small
number, however. may fall on other
spheres to bestow upon them, If their
conditions are favorable, the gift OF life.
Sometimes this may not be the case: some
times again this may not be the case;
sometimes again the seeds will meet an
eager soil. And even II q few millions
OF years should elapse from the time
when planet Is ready to receive life un.
til the day when the first seed reaches
its soil. sprouts. and takes 1t into pos
session for the use of organic life, how
insignificant is this delay compared with
the era during which life will blossom on
the planet.
THE tiny seeds expelled in this way
from the homes Of their parents may
either travel isolated through space and.
as outlined above. reach outer planets or
systems OF planets centered around other
stars or they might meet bigger particles
rushing In toward the SUM-"
In that part of the zodiacal light which
is called by the Germans Gegenschein
and is regularly observed in the tropics