Evening star., 1925-06-26
Mars may be inhabited.

The ruddy planet, $4,000, 900 miles
away in space, may support consid-
cradle population of fantastic. toad
like creatures, brilliantly colored, GU
riously developed biologically to cope
with rapid extremes of heat and cold,
and, 1t is barely possible, of sufficient
intelligence to have built up a weird
civilization in d beautiful country of
red, purple, yellow and green lichens.
That the earths second nearest
neighbor in space is capable of sup
porting certain forms of life, but very
fantastic forms, is the conclusion of
DR.. w. w. CoblenZ of the Bureau of
Standards, after compiling the first
accurate temperature of measure
ments on the surface of the planet
during it's period of approach last
Summer.
DR.. CoblenZ is a mathematician and
physicist-not d writer of roma noes.
In recently published accounts of his
work he offers just facts and figures
without deductions, but he provides
wealth of material for the more i'm
aginative to work with.
DIR. CoblenZ suggests that If animal
life exists on the planet ii must be in
some form capable Of sustaining long
periods of drought, since there Is lit
tie water in the atmosphere. This
condition could be met by some of
the desert creatures on earth such as
the horned toads of the Arizona des-
erts. But they must, in addition, be
capable of withstanding rapid changes
in temperature. for Mars is livably
warm only while the sun is shining
and as soon AS twilight comes it's tenn
perature drops nearly 100 degrees.
This condition might be met, DIR.
Coblenz suggests, by burrowing un-
derground when sunset comes. or by
biological equipment like that of
the torpid grasshoppers. wasps and
ants, such as sometimes are found in
benumbed state on warm days in
Winter
The possibilities of intelligent life
are considerably offset by these con-
siderations, but not entirely disproyed.
Life on Mars can only be deduced by
considering what life forms could exist
under the same circumstances on
earth, and there is the further possi.
| bility that some form might have de
veloped which is without counterpart
on earth and hence beyond the imag.
ination OF any human being.
Life Forms Small.
If evolution has followed the same
course on Mars as II has on earth,
local scientists say, the life forms will
be small. A creature the size of a
life forms on earth are growing
smaller and smaller. The great am
| fhibians of prehistoric times proba bly,
were wiped out by the difficulty of get
ting food for such enormous bodies
and the kendency ever since has been
toward lighter weight. Mars is mil
| lions of years older than the earth.
and the probability is that the course
iof evolution has been consistent
toward smaller life forms.
In addition, the food possibilities on
the planet are small the vegetation
probably being restricted to the type
OF lichenS such as those found on the
old lava flows which make up the
Arizona desert and the moSses found
under Arctic SHOWS.
This may be very colorful, however.
The Arizona lichens present marvel.
Gus color combinations.
The possibility of a toad-like crea-
ture developing great intelligence is
looked upon with considerable doubt,
since from the evolutionary viewpoint
the human brain has depended largely
on physical changes for its growth,
! and the amphibian is one of the earli-
est Of life forms out of the water.
DR.. Coblenz himself makes only one
assumption, that the existence of plant
life in tussockS, either grass or moss,
"IlCAl mas d ilISn dDSorpuNltE OF SOAR
radiation on the surface and low heat
conductivity underneath, may ac-
count for the high temperatures of the
dark areas.
DR.. Coblenz says. in a recent ar
ticle in the Scientific Monthly:
THE Martian day is about half an
hour longer than our own. Mars has
seasons similar to our own, but of
double the length, and as Summer
progressed on the Southern Hemis-
phere the thermocouples showed a
gradual warming up of the surface,
just as We notice a gradual warming
of the earth from April to July. But
there is d great difference in tempera-
ture Of the bright and the dark areas
on Mars. Even on the equator the
MONDAY temperature of the bright
areas, which are probably dry deserts
is but little above freezing The