The Indianapolis times., 1933-06-15
-Dietz on Science
INSTINCT LEADS
MAN TO SUN IN
HEALTH SEARCH
Biological Attraction L
Found Since Dawn
of History.
-Dietz on Science
RY DAVID DIETZ
Scrlpps- Howard Science Editor

AS the first day Of summer ap-
proaches, the sun rules the scene. 1t
rises early in the morning, climbs
high into the sky at noon, and sets
3 a late hour.
Summer is a season Of cheerful
ness because it is a season of bright
sunshine Something within man
kind responds to the call Of the
sun.
1t has been so since the early
days Of humanity. Perhaps there is
some deep-seated biological reason.
Animals instinctively seek the sur
for its health-giving rays. That
same instinct, perhaps, turks in
mankind.
NO one knows how life originated
upon this earth, but many author
tiles think it was the energy of SIN
light which brought it into exist
ence.
They think that living matter
originated in the tidal pools, the
region along the edge Of the seas
where little pools of water are left
behind by the recession of the tide.
Scattered by Tide
Here in the sands, they think,
various mixtures of salts were left
behind by the receding waters. One
day, the proper combination Of
chemical materials formed a thin
film upon the sands, a mixture OF
the kind which chemists call calloi-
dal.
The sun beat down upon this COL
loidal film and it began to absorb
the energy OF sunlight. The sun
light turned the tiny colloidal glo-
bules into little bundles of activity
and they floated away upon the re-
turning tide as the first globules of
living matter.
However life may have started. it
could not go on without the energy
Of sunlight. We are dependent upon
the sun for our food and fuel, for
plants can not grow without the en-
ergy Of sunlight, and coal and oil
are only the fossil remains of plants
which grew millions Of years ago.
Earth Would Perish
We're the sun to go out, the earth
would be plunged into darkness, re-
lieved only by the feeble light of
the stars, for the moon, of course,
shines only by reflected sunlight.
Within few days, the temperature
would be so low that all plant and
animal life would be frozen t.
death.
Before many days. the ocean
would be frozen solid, and soon
after, the atmosphere itself would
freeze, forming first layer Of liquid
air upon the surface of the earth
and then layer of solid air.
Man does not yet know of all the
effects which the sun has upon the
earth and its life Scientists are
only beginning to understand these
things.
Special Study Is Given
special study is being given to
sun spots and the effect which they
have upon the earth.
1t has been known for n long time
that magnetic storms which upset
the compass and throw long-dis-
tance telephone and telegraph lines
out of order, are likely to occur
when a large spot crosses the face
of the sun Sun spots also have an
effect upon the aurora b0realis or
northern lights.
1t is known that sun spots occur
i'm cycles, approximately 2.even and
One-half years in length and many
scientists have attempted to find
connection between the sun spot
cycle and terrestrial phenomenon.
Dr. Harlan T. Stetson, director of
The Perkins observatory, has shown
q connection between sun spots and
radio reception, radio conditions
growing worse as sun spots increase
and better as they decrease.