Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10
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| of the distances of two of the closest OF
the spiral nebulae. They also are out
| side our galaxy, and are made up, like
our own, of a vast number of stars.
DR.. Shapley's measures OF dimensions
show that our own galaxy appears to be
from 10 to 40 times the diameter OF any
of the others with which we are ac-
uuainted, with the exception OF the
| Andromeda nebulae, which may be a
| fifth as large as our system. In the
oceans Of space our galaxy appears to
| be a continent, to use DR.. Shapley'S ex-
preston, whereas the hundreds OF thou
sands of eXtra-galactic nebulae may be
called island uniyerses," as Herschel
and others termed them. a hundred
years ago.
But these ISLANDS" are not isolated
They are organized into the higher sys-
temS-into galaxies Of galaxies.
| Good antidotes for egoists are the re-
searches of DR.. Shapley. Remember
that the sun is but minor star hardly
worthy Of an astronomers attention ex-
cept for the accident that the earth
happens to be its satellite. There are
millions upon millions like it, for DR..
6Ilt1plGy klnSS AoullA 6dihAlSs aS LGiAIOeC dc
a hundred million light years distant
from the earth.
OF similar belittling stuff are the re-
searches of the physicist and Nobel
prize winner, DR.. r. A. Millikan, who
was elected president of the American
Association for the Advancement Of
Science at the recent meeting. In his
probings into the fundamental extent
of the universe, in his studies OF cleo
irons and protons, in his measurements
of the powerful cosinic radiation, he has
found evidence Of the creation OF the
common elements out OF simpler hydro
gen in the outer reaches OF frigid,
sparsely populated space. Each few
weeks brings new and interesting con-
illusions in the race toward understand
ing nature in which DIR. Millikan and
other physicists are engaged.
Fears Are AlIayed.
Speaking at banquet Of the Geologi-
cal Society of America during the
American association meeting, DR..
Millikan al1ayed the fear to which past
conceptions Of physics have given rise.
There Is drama playing in New YORK
that visualizes what might happen II
some young physicist should find the
and let loose energy. According to
recent theories, that play was founded
on a possibility. The fires Of the sun
and stars are stocked, astronomers be-
lieve, by the changing Of the atoms OF
those heavenly bodies into radiation.
Dr. Millikan's studies OF the latest de-
| termination of atomic weights convince
| him that atoms lighter in weight than
| lead do not have the possibility OF dis
| migrating and letting loose energy In
! the same manner that radium and other
slowly and constantly disintegrattng
earthly elements have the habit of doing
| Moreover, the conditions here on
earth are not right in the light of the
most recent conclusions of physics for
an humiliation of matter. The posi-
i bility of the world and the universe
being blown up through the chance
explosion of one atom, the chance OF
| universal humiliation. has, therefore
become quite remote. II not, indeed, out
of the question, in the light OF modern
physics. The millennialists among
physicists must, therefore find new gods
While astronomers and physicists
| study the galaXies Of stars and the be-
havior Of matter In outer space, the
biologists are attempting to discover the
| past history of the planet on which we
| live. The extent OF geologic time has
been O subject for discussion and study
| ever since the realization that the earth
| has left its past illuminated in the rec
ord of the rocks. Two clocks have been
read by biologists in attempting to as
| certain as accurately as possible the
present age Of the earth.
One is the salt of the ocean and the
1 other the lead of the earth that has
been derived from the radioactive disin-
| tegration or radium. In the past these
| two clocks have told different times
| The age Of the earth obtained by CON-
putting the amount of salt in the ocean
| and dividing by figure for the average
amount OF salt carried down each yeai
to the sea was formerly much less thar
that obtained upon the basis Of the
| radio activity. Prof. A. G. Lane Of
Tufts College told the scientists that
these two methods have now beer
reconciled by the discovery that flood
waters carry less salt than had beer
| Is, the period since the igneouS rocks
of the original crust OF the earth were
cooled--is somewhere in the neighbor'
hood of thousand million years.
Ambitious Undertaking.
The more recent chronology OF the
earth, a record of the climatic condi.
tons during the glacial periods, exists
in the banded layers Of clay, called
varves, which are found In various parts
of this country and Europe. One Of the
foremost students of these earth calen'
OARS Is DIR. Ernest Anteus. 1t Is thu
hope Of biologists that they viii be able
to hook this record into the climatic
data afforded by the rings OF giant
sequoia trees on the Pacific Coast ane
thus obtain q year-by-year record ex'
tending into the past at least som'
thousands Of years. This Is an ambi'
tious undertaking and one that MAY
take years. but, the first fruits Of 1t Were
reported In technical papers at thu
American association meeting.
DR.. Anteus, through his studies o
geology, has placed some limitations
upon anthropologists in their searches
as to when the first human being
stepped on American soil. II must hay'
been either earlier than $4,000 year
ago or else as late as 1000 years ago
The last great Ice sheet slowly stretches
down over Canada and froze part O.
Alaska. Then y slowly yetreated again