Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-10

iiioc- q i've l)SiI L III ff'7"7iIiS lGlti'.'4
losis Lessons, arise directly from tho
white uuOG cells.
Many volumes have been written in
the past year on the work of the
department of embryology of the Car
negte Institution of Washington, ana
by merely copying details in their
Chronological order this entire pag"
could be filled many times. Hence il
is possible only to give q summarized
description of the more interesting Of
the investigations there and then pass
on to the many other departments Of
the institution.
:: : 4 *
TN some respects the work Of the de
partment Of senet.cs, which has
its Laboratories at Cold Spring Harbor.
Long Island, doyetails with that Of the
department Of eulbryology. In gen
eral, the depa rtu!ent OF genetIcs has
been moving toward a better under
standing of the nature Of the gene.
the role of the chromosonne in direct
ing development, the interpretatl ton OF
abnoraml sex ratios and the appnoa-
tons Of genet-c principles TO man
mails, including man.
Although every college student OF
the present time could give mode!
ately. good definition Of q chrouosomc.
the term gene" may not be SO We.l
l.
chromosome rs particle 50 SIN"
that the human eve cannot detect u
but which assumes the shape Of =
bologna sausage under the microscope.
Inside this sausage are many Ltti"
pills, or marbles. Those are genes.
Geneticists are rapidly coming a.
the unanimous opinion that il is the~'
genes" which determine our entire
future some time when we are still
IG ring1srEr
decree that we shall be blond -.
brunette; another that We shall ha
long or short, still another our weight
and another our sex. II j. with III
problem of learning something ab"r,
how these genes" work ont our DC
| TIMES for Us that the department a.
genetiCS is vitality Interested uoW.
To work out this problem its staff il
using many subjects. Among then
may be classed datura plants, or gin.
sen weeds; pigeons, fruit flies. Wale!
nynlphs bread noulds and 2 varie
OF other things. it is problem thu
may not soon he fruitful of very def
mite results, bur if u solution ever
found il win possibly open up % ~
world an entirely new method Of d!
| prOach to studies OF life processes.
WHILE archeoIoGists have bee.
W discovering rich treasures Of :-
tiquity in the tombs of old EgErt.
other Psychologists on the staff OF th-
! Carnegie institution have been uI
earthing knowledge of no less impol
lance here in the New World. TIL
excavation of Chichen liza, once tn
| brilliant intellectual center of a great
! aboriginal civilization that reared an
! amazing culture in Yucatan MAN.
! centuries ago and then utterly disip
| tegrated. will stand out as one of the
most important archaeological enter
| prises of the generation.
Although it had long been known
that the lost Maya had mastered with
astonishing grace the art of sculp-
ture. few persons dreamed that thost
| old masters of one Of the most Pc"
picking cultures this world has eve
known had scared to such heights Of
skill as were discovered in the pas;
year. The ruins of great palaces.
once adorned with exquisite example
of rich sculpturing, have been par
TALLY resurrected from the dust and
| jungle growth that engulfed them
| centuries ago.
| Even some Of the higher sciences.
ii is believed, may have been known
! to the forgotten Maya. This belief
! has been considerably strengthened
| by the discovery of a building tina,
| bears striking resemblance to our
| modern astronomical and solar Oh.
| servatories. 1t is not at all imposei-
| bile. scientists hold. that the structure
really was an observatory, since there
| is additional evidence TO indicate that
the Maya scientists We're students Of
| the universe.
Nutrition is another of the subjects
under investigation by the Carnegie
| Institution at its nutrition laboratory
in Boston. This study, possibly. holds
more immediate application to human
use, and DR.. Francis G.. Benedict di-
rector of the laboratory, has reported
some striking advances during the
! past year.
| Members of the staff have been con
Quoting a series of observations on the
| metabolism of young college women
having found in the students of Mount
| Holyoke College an eager and enthl.
| siastic body of volunteer cole borators
| Metabolism. it might be explained i
the process by which the tissues Of the
human body are constantly being re
plenished to keen us nourished and
to keep us alive. The results Of these
observations on metahOlism have not
vet been checked and. hence, cannot
be published at this time.
1t is possible. however. for the M
triton laboratory to determine to an
extreme degree of definiteness Just
how much energy the normal house
wife needs to complete her domestic
duties and how much food she should
| INCEST to supply that energy Just
how much energy is burned M sleep
ing, standing, sitting. lying still. walk
ing, running and jumping can also lie
determined and il is quite possible
for the nutrition laboratory to tell
man how he should eat to supply suf-
f1cient energy.
This laboratory has attracted stu
dents from all over the world in the
past year Doctors have spent time
there studying the plans with view
to establishing similar clinics in hos
pitfalls. Scientists have come from
Japan, Denmark, Sweden. Run1ania
and from all parts of the United
States. In return. members of the
staff have just completed an extensive
tour of Europe. observing problems
of nutrition with a view to various
tests in the laboratory this Winter.
Y x y
STUDYING marine biology is NOT
- without its hazards. Frequently
the investigators. anxious to watch
the fishes at work and play in their
native haunts, spend many hours in
divers suits far beneath the seas sur
face tied to the outside world only
by a slender tube that takes them ar.
The Carnegie Institution maintains its
laboratory for this study on Logger
head Key, in the Tortugas group Of
| keys off Florida
This laboratory together with it's
complete equipment including severaI
boats, is placed at the disposal of In
vestigators from all over the world.
1t is opened during the warm months
of the year and closed for the cold
seasons. The discovery of extensive