Evening star., 1934-12-30
MYSTERY Of RAYS
REMAINS HIDDEN
Dr.. MiIIikan Reveals New
Measurements of This
Terrific Force.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,
STAFF Correspondent Of The Star.

PITTSBURGH, Pa, December 49,
The mystery of the origin of cosmic
rays is greater than ever with the
discovery that some of them have ener-
gies nearly 100000 times the high
est dreamed of few years ago, Dr.
Robert A. Milhkan Of the California
Institute of Technology told the Amer
lean Associa ton for the Advancement
of Science here today.
Until three years ago the energies
of this radiation, consisting OF Tar
shorter wave-lengths than X-rays In
the energy spectrum, were calculated
from the penetrating powers. Some OF
1t would go through a foot Of lead
or to the bottom of a deep lake
The highest particle energies found
in this way were approximately u.s.
100000 electron volts, an almost unim-
aginable energy.
The new measurements by DR.. Mil
likan's coworkers at the California
Institute of Technology, he reported
showed particle energies ranging at
least as high as 5000 5000 electron
volts. The indications are, he said,
that they will almost certainly be
found to range to at least 10000, ,000,-
600 electron volts.
This discovery DR.. Millikan described
as lone of the most amazing Of mod
ern physics"
There can now be little question, DR.
Milhkan said, that the cosinic rays
originate somewhere beyond the
milky way"
n. r. A. Procedure Criticized.
Dr.. Charles F. Roos, former N. r.
A. economist, declared that while he
was associated with this organization
under Gen. johnson. it consisted
mostly Of wishful thinking"
"It reminded me-" he said, "of a
ship without rudder in night
without star. Since the same treat
ment was applied to durable and non-
durable goods and services, one may
well suppose that things done just
net gain seems to have been an ab-
sorption Of housing vacancy"
DR.. Roos had just presented sta
tistics showing that the two should
have been considered from entirely
different viewpoints.
Mankind, by departing from the
tooth-and-c life of its ancestors,
may be killing itself with kindness,
DR.. Earnest A. Hooton, professor of
anthropology at Harvard University
told the association.
Considered as an organism In the
process Of evolution, Dr. Hooton said,
the human race has shown hardly
any improvement throughout its his
tory, and argued for the elimination
of the unf1t-without, however, max
ing any very clear definition of un-
fitness.
I'VE are faced by the sinister neces-
sity Of ascertaining whether or no
mans most benevolent cultural ef-
forts-medical science and idealistic
Observation-Disclosures eating him
alive by eliminating the evolutionary
effect Of natural selection.
What we must avoid Is progress
sive deterioration Of mankind as q re-
suit of the reckless and copious breed
ing of protected interiors. We have
not the knowledge to breed supermen,
but we can limit the reproduction Of
criminals and mental detectives. Let
us cease to delude ourselves with the
belief that education, religion or other
measures Of social amelioration can
transform base metal into gold"
Ancient Ancestors.
Turning from the future to the past,
DR.. Hooton said an increasing body OF
anthropologiSts Is turning to the be-
lief that the living creature closest to
mans ultimate ancestor is a tiny, noe
turnal, ratlike animal Of the Borneo
jungles, which claims charter men,
bership in the Daughters Of Human
Evolution"
This animal is the tarsier, a tree
dweller with long tail, enormous
eyes, seemingly directed inward; large
ears, a pinched nose and which hops
on its hind legs like a kangaroo. In
some respects very primitive, it COM
bines human characteristics in q sur
prising degree. It sits erect, feeds
itself with its hands, has a short
snout and q dry nose. Perhaps most
important Of all, it has frontally
directed eyes and clawless. opposable
thumbs.
Its front paws, DR.. Hooton said,
seem to be adapted for all the varie-
ties Of mischief Satan finds for idle
hands to do" Perhaps most important
OF all, they enable 1t to lift things to
Its eyes, nose and mouth and be
come forerunners Of all the tools and
appurtenances of material culture"