Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-30
STEROL HELD KEY
TO TUBERCULOSIS
TubercIe BaCiIIi Believed to
Take Vital Alcohol From
Human Cells.
Continued From First Page.)

CONTINUED From First Page)
the year 1889, for then he will be closest
to the sun. His own year, the time he
takes to swing around the sun, is 247
years, months and about 10 days.
His mass, which may indicate closely
how his size compares with earth,
ranges between about three-tenths more
to three-twentieths less than earth's.
Pluto's mean distance from the sun Is
approximately 1878, 100000 miles.
Petroleum has been produced at the
University of Minnesota by use of cleo
tricity, by ultraviolet radiation and by
alpha radiation, the latter being the
discharge of helium particles by radio
active elements
Explaining the significance Of this
work, DR.. S. c. Lind, director of the
School of Chemistry, said it is possible
that petroleum is created in the earth'S
crust by emanations from mildly radio
active rocks which ore distributed quite
generally He said he prefers the usual
theory that heat produced petroleum.
Alpha-Ray Petroleum.
The alpha-ray petroleum would be
made from inert, inorganic substances
and animal substances. He quoted cal
culations of other scientists to show that
the amount of petroleum in the petrolia
field of Texas is not too great to be
accounted for by the alpha-ray n.y.
pothesis.
He said Minnesota studies have sug-
gested for the first time direct means
OF building up heavier hydrocarbon
molecules from lighter. ones in con-
trast with the generally known proc
ess Of breaking down heavy to light
ones by thermal means, as illustrated
by cracking"
An advance in long-range weather
predicting was reported by DR.. Dins-
more Alter of the University of Kansas.
BY analysing the rainfall records of 81
years of the British Isles he published
test predictions of semi-annual rainfall.
This was done several years ago and
now checks upon the accuracy of those
predictions have led to corrections in
the method that promise still closer
results.
"Sampling Public Opinion"
"Sampling public opinion" through
polls similar to those conducted by the
Literary Digest might be a valuable aid
to democracy If taken over by the Gov
eminent, it was suggested by Walter r.
Wilcox of Cornell University.
He said such polls "exemplify a novel
and valuable method of measuring both
public opinion at given moment upon
any simple question in which the citi-
zen is deeply interested and the changes
IN that opinion during period of time.
II this Sampling method should be re-
fined and extended and perhaps taken
over by the Government, it might aid in
the maintenance and extension of demo-
cratic institutions"
Belief in evolution does not neces-
Sarily imply disbelief in religion, DR..
Robert A. Millikan, famous physicist,
told the association last night.
Neither evolution nor evolutionists
have In general been atheistic-Darwin
least OF all, he declared in an address
on the occasion of his retirement as
president Of the association.
The theory of evolution, he said.
tended merely to identify the Creator
with the universe" and to turn atten-
ton away from the idea of a being that
was outside and independent of the uni
verse and started It moving as one
might wind up clock.
Raises "Heat Death" Doubt.
Evolution also raised doubts about
the theory that the universe will come
to an end through heat death" when
all the heat and energy of the suns
ana planets have been radiated away
into space beyond recovery. DR.. Mill
kan declared. Instead, it tends to helm
support the belief that new energy and
heat are being created out in SPACE to
replace that which is lost.
This new energy, he said, Is being
formed In space among the distant
stars, and Is falling upon the earth in
the form OF radiation Of "cosmic rays"
that are similar in principle to the
rays given of by radiun, but far more
penetrating.
1t is hard to picture Just how this
process takes place in the cold reaches
among the stars, but acceptable and
demonstrable facts do not, in this
twentieth century, seem to be disposed
to wait on suitable mechanical pictures"
he said. Indeed, has not modern
physics thrown the purely mechanistic
view of the universe root and branch
out of its house?"
Experiments just recently made on
Pixies Peak that revealed the enormous
emptiness Of space were offered in sup
port Of his theory by DR.. Millikan. He
said these proved that the cosmic rays
enter the earth'S atmosphere in a man
ner to indicate they have not passed
through any appreciate amount of
matter on the way from their place of
origin to the earth.
This helps to prove, in DR.. Millikan's
belief, that the cosmic rays cannot origi-
nate even in the outer atmosphere that
surrounds the stars, but must originate
in space so empty that they do not go
through matter anywhere near as thick
even as the earths atmosphere.
The coSnlc rays may be formed out
OF hydrogen, which Is known to be fairly
plentiful in interstellar space, and the
hydrogen may be replenished by radiant
energy that is leaking out from the stars,