Evening star., 1928-04-24
MAN AND CABBAGES.
SCIENTISTS TOPICS.
Or. Hrdlicka Asks Excava-
tions to Determine Time HUI
mans Have Been in America.

eases Of cahbages characterized the sec
ond DAYS meeting of the National Acao-
envy Of Sciences today.
The principal feature Of the nnornius
session was q discussion on the length
of time the human race has been In
America. in which DR.. Ales Hrdlicka oi
the Smithsonian Institution Appealed
for further excavations over the path
way in Alaska. over which the anceS-
tors of the Indians are believed to have
come from Asia,
Or. James w. Gidley of the same In
stitution told Of the discovery Of what
he believed 10 be ancient human re-
mains in Florida. and Or. Henry FAR
field Osborn of the New York Museum
cf Natural History described recent dis
coveries relating to the ancestry OF man
In the tertiary geological period.
Taken With Caution.
The discussion was enlivened after
Or. Gidleys address when DR. Hrdlicka
declared that the opinions Of paleon-
tologist regarding the antiquity OF such
finds as the speaker had been deScrib-
ing from Florida must be taken with
extreme caution.
Anthropologists. he said, do not base
their claims for the antiquity Of human
remains merely on the geological strata
In which they were found. but demand
a great mass of supporting evidence.
Finding the bones of man and Of ex-
tinct animals together. he said. would
not warrant the statement that the
man existed at the same time unless
there were great many such aSso-
Citations or unless there were cuts and
nicks on the bones which could only
have been produced by man.
Discovery of traces of organic life
lJssihly millions Of years older than
any hitherto found was announced
before the National Academy of Sci
ences by DR.. David white Of the
United States Geological Survey.
His evidence, taken from rocks
formed in the proterozoic period, at
least 10000 900 years ago. was OBJ
obtained near the mouth OF the Bright
Angel Greek. in the Grand Canyon,
about 5000 feet lower than traces dis
covered by the late DR.. Charles d. Wal
cott of the Smithsonian Institution,
which have stood for many years as
the oldest known records Of life in
southwestern North America.
Rock Forming In Progress.
Although he has not completed his
study OF the new evidence. DR.. White,
who is home secretary of the academy.
is convinced that much OF 1t is the |
product Of rock-forming processes |
still in progress.
SO many periods of extreme pressure |
have buckled and crushed the various |
strata OF the earth's crust since the |
proterozoic period, ended about 1875 |
100000 years ago. that most Of the |
rocks formed at that time have prob |
ably been erased. The Grand Canyon |
Is one Of the few places discovered |
where they have been preserved by |
nature in q condition making 1t rela- |
lively easy 70 recognize traces of such |
organisms.
Whether any OF the rock formations |
In the base limestone investigated by /
DR.. White carry traces of animal life |
has not been determined, but he said |
l2 had found reefs unrnistakably Of |
algsl deposition and several other types |
Of deposit very probably OF algal origin" |
while molds possibly OF animal but |
surely Of organic origin" were dis |
covered about the same time In q layer |
Of shale just above the limestone by O. |
z. Stnrdevant. Grand Canyon, national |
park naturalist.
II is in this region, where some Of the |
rock formations are estimated TO date |
back 400 900 900 years. that the acad- |
enay, with the financial support Of the |
Carnegie corporation through the Car
negie Institution OF Washington, is es-
tahiishing a permanent exhibit OF evi-
Gencee OF prehistoric life IN their nat. |
ural environment. These exhibits al |
ready cover span Of about 400. .Oo0. .o0c
years.
Describes Cosmic Rays.
What may constitute one OF the
most notable scientific achievements OF /
recent times was announced 70 the /
academy for the first time last night |
by Prof. Robert A. MilIikan OF the /
California Institute Of Technology.
He described experimental proof that
the mysterious coEmic rays which /
bonlsard the earth from outer space |
a. high attitudes, and compared TO |
which the penetrating power Of X-rays /
as extremely feeble. since some OF the |
coEmic rays viii penetrate the equiva- /
lent OF rs feet Of lead, are the direct /
product Of the building up Of atoms
II the nebuiae and the stars.
This discovery furnishes the strongest /
proof yet offered Of the theory that /
the more complex atoms are built Up /
step Dy step from hydrogen, and that /
energy 6 released IN the process in /
mass 10 transfOrmabie into energy.
When the origin OF these IL explained /
81 due % Jumps, the nature Of which /
is yet obscure, from the lowest hydro
gen 1p. the most mysterious question /
IN the uniVerhe has been answered. /
the origin OF matter.
Prof. Miliikan expressed the belief /
that the sanae thing Is going on in /
limited way on earth, as well az in /
the nebuiae and the stars. and that |
the heiiuna which Ia recovered may not /
be the product Of the disintegrati0n Of /
radioactive materials but the result
Of the building Of ": more complex |
atonlS out Of the simpler nYdrogen /
Prof. !. Is. Bowen, Or. MiiHkane COL |
league 81 the California institute Of /
Technology, vent a step further In /
the analysis " cosmic material when |
he tod the academy that the mystery
OF nsbuliun6. the supposedly mysterious
Element IN the composition Of the great /
ne5ulss fran which solar systems are
k,eing born. yas Q mystery no longer
in fart, didn't exist.
Effects Of Collisions
The effects of collisions between elee-
irons, atoms and molecules, resulting IN
azcl1siioa and release of energy, were
cesesiDed by DF James Frank ~ the
University ~ Oottingen, Germany.
The maximum population ~ humsn |
beings wj7ieh tDe earth can support was /
estimated 81 shout 4 900 900 .0bb by Or. |
~. /. Giasntz u the University " Hi |
Iole
DT, EhaHtz based this estirnstb on tbs /
assumption that tgo acres Of cf0p~pTo~ /
cgclpg land IL necessary for each indi~ /
yAGQsl tpus making $40 peFggng the /
maximum average population per square |
mile, The surface ~ the earth, consist /
ing ~ asloQt 5zyD00, 900 square miles, OF /
80 5,zsD ,D90, 900 acres, e&n 6e split up, he |
Ksi1, into 22yD00y 900 square miles ot /
forest~pEocpciDg land, 1900 900 square |
fqsfag ~ sazfasVa4 .<,sa4pu Ia Il