Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-10-12
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

The suns planets. including the earth.
may have resulted from condensation of
gas particles in great cloud which once
extended to the limits OF the orbit of
Pluto.
This is the theory of the origin Of the
solar system advanced by Prof. Bertil
Lindblad of the Stockholm Observatory
to replace the generally accepted ny
pothesis of an ancient star collision.
Mathematical analysis of the probable
behavior of gas particles in such nebula
shows that bodies of the size and dis
tribution of the planets might very well
have resulted from condensation in a
time period approximately equal TO the
earthS age.
Thus, he shows gas particles with a
mass of about a quadrillionth OF gram
maSS-approXimately that of those par
ticleS forming the vast clouds OF obScur-
ing matter in the Milky Way-Would
come together in the course of about
a billion years to form bodies the size
of the smallest known asteroids These
tiny bodies. in turn, would tend to be
pulled together to form objects the size
of the planets
The particles around the sun reSpOn-
sible for the zodaical lights. Prof.
Lindblad believes, constitute the last
remnant of this great solar cloud. Even
now it may be in the process OF con-
denSing into new planet.
This hypothesis is one OF several adj
vanced in recent years to replace the
theory which attributes the origin of the
solar system to the passing of another
star very close to the sun. This would
have raised enormous tides on the suns
surface, some of them SO great that the
matter forming them would have been
torn loose entirely and drawn out into
space to form the planets.
Under the old theory solar system,
and hence possible abodes of life, would
be very rare in the universe. Under
Prof. Lindblad'S theory they might be
very common.
The oldest porcupine remains yet
found in Moth America have been iden-
tilted in material gathered from the
Snake River Valley of Idaho by DR.. G.
Lewis Gain, Smithsonian Institution
paleontologiSt. The deposits belonged
to the late Pliocene or early PleiStocene
period of the biologists, at about the
start of the great Ice Ages more than
100000 years ago.
ms DOrcupnle felC only part VI
it's lower jaw in the rock as record
for posterity but this was enough for
DR.. Robert w. Wilson, paleontologlst of
the California Institute of Technology,
to place it in the proper family. 1t was
evidently a somewhat larger, heavier
creature than either of the two porcupine
species now found in the United States.
Hitherto the creatures have been conSid-
cred relatively late arrivals on this con-
tinent, although they have a greater
antiquity in South America Other
bones gathered in the area indicate that
South American animal types were
penetrating far northward at the time.
Fossils of both the extant species of
porcupines go back only to cave or vol-
canic fissure deposits dating from the
Middle or late Ice Age period. Hitherto
only one fossil representing an extinct
species of porcupine has been recorded
on the continent. This was rather
complete skull obtained from a volcanic
assure in Arizona and dated from the
late PleiStocene period.
The indications are the porcupines may
have been in North America even in the
early Pliocene period, or more than
10000 900 years ago. Hitherto, however.
the tangible evidence of this has con-
sisted only Of two teetE found in the