The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-12
NEW STUDY IN
 LIFE 0F PLANETS Prof. Perrier Presents New Af.
 firmative View IS LIKE EARTH  Auts and Apes, But No Human Jnb.b- ffant-Fruits and Ffower1us
 Plants Abundant
 on Mars
IS LIKE EARTH


 whether life as human earth dvely- CTS conceive 1t exists on the nlanet. question on which many eminent astronomers have pronounced var,ov. oplhicns. Now comes A noted zoo,o.,.. Prof Edmund Perrier member of th. french Academy of Sciences and d,- rector Of the Physical institute in Paris "ho answers in a distinct affirmative III an article contributed to La Revue frof- Terrier deals with the npes+,or on strictly scientific basis. although ne Is led to rather fanciful conclusions !aking Into account the physical oop- | oitlons which rule the mora ren,o,o pianets or the solar system Prof perrier ,nihKs that life as we Understand ,t cannot exist on them. ~ mercury, too, with it's mean tenner- ".ure ..,i, or lsS degrees. he considers equally uniikeiy as habitation of living tbin,r whether animal or vegetable. Tn ths case Of Venus and Mars Prof perrier reasons that conditions of gravity. Iirht and composition of matter exist which uo not essentially differ from those of this earth. VI The writer assumes that on botb nlan- cts there Is or has been water and Ike. II rains or snows exactly as 1t does bers rom which he concludes that al s,, events lower grade plants and animals | such as algae, fungi and certain for,ns ol insect life must exist there. As re- ,,a Ssros venus, It's specific gravity is but ,ltue less than the earth's, and it's axial inclination to its orbit is somewb.t sleeper than the earth's, so that despite tne shorter Venus year of 224 days the dlnerence in seasons is not very ma r,xed 1his, Prof. Perrier argues. is fayorabIe 70 the existence of long-lived insects 
 iocusts and the like
 The mean temperature of Venus being hlgher than ours, there would be more water vapor which would make possi- | pie the growth of. ferns and similar plants Of our carbona period Reptiles ara amphlbious animals might exist as Tn the earth's triassic period. In the temperate zones of Venus these animal. may have multiplied exceedingly. No Human There Prof. Terrier thinks there are no bfr,3a mammals or human beings on yenus. AS Venus has no moon it's nights arc exceedingly dark. and he does not think any night animals exist there. Entirely different is the picture tho rehch savant presents of life on Maru which is further away from the sun than either Venus or the earth. The axial inclination Of Mars is lower: its seasons are sharply divided. and the difference between day and night is greater Win ter on Mars is very cold. and summer very hot: its northern hemisphere is warmer. having a.. longer summer than It's southern half
 While Venus offers favorable condi- tons for creatures with little deyeIop- ment Mars is the planet for warm blooded animals, better able to with stand extremes of temperature Mars. Prof Perrier says, Is the planet of mammals and birds Owing to the lesser gravity jumping and running animals would predomlnate The difference lin the seasons would produce quick livina creatures which complete their life in one season, such as butterflies, whose metamorphosis enables them to exist through different seasons.
 Huge Fruit and Grasses
 On Mars Towering plants would grow In abundance and Martien flora and fauna may resemble those of the tenn perate and polar regions of the earth. The greater length of the Martian year. e6S days. with a approximately longer summer would favor living creatures and plants producing one generation to summer. Prof Perrler imayines Id tense growth and reproduction. im- rnensely tall grasses. huge fruits. gigan- tic insects.
 Life being a greater struggle there the writer is led to assume a high plane of intelligence in Martian insect life. This may consist chiefly. he hazards. of crea- lures of the ant or termlte species Mars. he thinks. would have no massive mammals, as the elephant or hippo potamus, but rather animals of slender huild and heet-footed, such the sa- zelle. or maybe certain forms of apes. He further thinks 1t possible that from the latter creatures of higher inteilt- sence may have sprung or may yet spring beings with upright gait ard not necessarily dissimilar to the human earth dweller