El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-07-08

! beings The ridges closely correspond.
and their arrangement likewise.
The gorilla is the highest Of the
/ apes-meaniuE thereby that its likeness
| 10 the human species is nearest in
! respect Of anatomical structure It
! is interesting to discover that its palm
and sole prints give II corresponding
rank: and also las shown by Miss Sui
lenders INK impressions) that other
monkeys. as they descend in the scale
I Of development show patterns less and
! less like those Of man Another fact
well worth noting in this connection
is that man and the monkeys are the
only animals existing today that pos
eess such ridge-pattern-
a baby mcnEcy-or. for that matter,
a monkey Of any age-could be identi-
fled bv its footprint or hand-print just
as surely as . human baby.
ScientisTs Busy With Problem
To 10 hack to the babies Nobody
knows why certain traits are, and
others are not. transmitted from
parents TO Offsprings- and II is impOs-
sible to tel in advance which ones
viii be thus transmitted But at this
very time government scientists. the
cleveres. o. them. are busy with the
problem Through the breeding Of
animals and plants they are gaining
knowledge which is expected eventual
~ TO he use in solving puzzles OF the
kind thai relate 10 human beings-even
the puzzle that has TO do with the con-
troll OF sex
Cooperating with them in this work
is a sO-called Station for Experimental
evolution, established by an endowment
from M. Carnegie at Cold Spring Har-
Dor. Long Island.
This is a scientific enterprise alto
gether unique on first glance at its
interiors the main laboratory building
might 0e mistaken for geological sup
ply shop. -uasmuch as the greater part
Of it l. divided up into breeding rooms
for the propagation OF many kinds OF
animals one room is devoted 70
canarscs. ard IS made meIodiOus by the
singing o. hundreds Of these birds. in
cages Another room contains Z. small
but complete fish hatchery; also tanks
for the study of shrimps. crabs. and
Holsters a separate department is
assigned 10 rabbits and guina-pigs, an
other is given Up TO insects OF NUM-
erouS species, which are being bred
There - an annex exclusively for
chickens and pigeons goats and sheep
are housed IN a convenient outbuilding.
and a dCzs. oCo-lookinE pens OF glass
on the adjacent lawn are tenanted By
promising families Of snails-
All For One Purpose.
All Of THIS remarkab BILE outfit is main
tanned for one object only-the study
Of problems relating to heredity.
According 10 the famous Cation. eX-
pectstiCn o. Inheritance. in the matter
OF traits o. characteristics. follows a
simple rule OF arithmetic OF the whole I
heritage Of a baby physical. mental. and
moraD ITS two PARENTS contribute one /
half. Thus you yourself received 50 I
per cent OF your makeup from your
father and mother From your four
grandparents you acquired an addition
al one-fourlh- from your sixteen great ]
grandparents you get a supplementary {
eighth. and the fractional balance was 3
Furnished a. your more remote am /
Cestors.
This ruIe. how ever. works out only I!
in a rough sort Of way II is merely a 4
theory OF averages. and cannot he eX-
pected 10 apply with exactness TO any I
individual For one thing. IL takes z
no account CO --prepotencies' the power I
Of certain persons tas yet Unexplained !
TO impress their traits with exceptional /
righteousness upon their Offspring /
Again. 4 takes no account OF the 4
tendency o. certain inherited traits TO 4
pur themselves forward conspiCuouslv f,
generation after generation You had Z
a grandfather let us say. whose nose 3
had a peculiar hook. That hook ap-
peared IN your fathers nose and is re-
produced ir. your own. II is what the i
scientists call a dominant rrait'-liks !
the ur0trudinF .HapsburE lip" or like
red hair in the Biddie family.
The tendency TO produce male. or il
may be female, offspring runs in Ger
tween = man and woman whose
families have been exceptionally az
fluent Of boys. is likely 10 result in a
high percentage Of male births Il is.
in facJ. tine only means as vet ascer-
tanned by which the sex OF children can
be influenced in advance
Relation of Heredity.
An eminent government scientist. !
Prof w = Spiliman. has gone very /
deep lntJ a study Of the mathematics |
of hercdity- He says land apparently
IS able 10 prcve) that two brothers may
not be in the slightest degree related |
10 each other. though born OF the same {
parents and likewise two sisters A
child may be no kin whatever TO its |
1un grardInother. Or il may happen /
that i mans niece is more closely re-
ated 10 hirn than his own daughter. j
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