Evening star., 1935-05-02
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field.
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

from the laboratory instrument de-
vised by E. G. Pickins and j. w.
Beams of the physics department OF
the University of Virginia. This is
brought about by rotation OF 1900
revolutions second in vacuum with
a linear speed of 1000 feet a second.
or about twice the velocity of sound
in air.
Measures have some curious physical
bases. Thus the inch-as standard
lied by law in Scotland in 1150-was
to be the mean measure of the thumbs
of three men, "an merkle man. an man
of measurable stature and an lyttel
man." the measurements to start at
the root of the nail The meter was
originally "a millioneth part of the
meridional quadrant of the EARTH"
The yard was standardized as the
length of the seconds pendulum in
vacuum at sea level in London"
A solution of the mystery of the
synchronous flashing of flreflies is pre-
sented in science by DR.. John Bonner
Budd of Johns Hopkins University.
Sometimes all the fireflies over a
large area will flash at the same time
with clocklike regularity. and various
explanations have been presented for
the phenomenon. Some have said it
is due to puffs of wind, but it is OBJ
served in profound calm. Others have
insisted that it was purely accidental.
which is mathematically impossible.
Still others insist that it is an illu-
sion of the human eye and others that
it is due to some mysterious 'sympa-
thy" existing through great swarm
of the insects.
But Budd was able to produce the
same phenomenon in the laboratory
and finds nothing mysterious about it.
The flashing of the female is a re-
sponse to the flashing of the male and
vice versa. They follow each other at
definitely timed intervals. 1t some
times happens that the distribution
of the insects is such that several
males will respond to the flash of one
female, all at the same instant In
turn. several females will respond to
the flashes of these males, also all at
the same instant. AS this movement
spreads the synchronism is built up
through the entire field and it seems
as If the many thousands of little
creatures were activated by a COM
mon impulse.
A hypothesis to explain the origin
of the 90 elements, the building blocks
of the universe. is advanced by DR..
Georges Gamow of the Leningrad
Academy of Sciences. who is a visiting
professor at George Washington Uni
versity.
The atoms of the 90 elements differ
from each other in the number of
electrons and protons of which they
are composed. All presumably were
built up originally from a common
substance, possibly hydrogen.
DR.. Gamow sees the center of a star.
such as the sun, composed Of indi-
vidual electron and atomic nuclei In
the form of gases under enormous
pressure-such that cubic cent?
meter weighs close to million tons.
Now. he points out. mass under such
pressure and with such heat as must
be generated by 1t would be contin-
ually shooting of material. Thus
there would be streams of electrons
and nuclei continually shooting out
into the cooler regions of a star, where
they would be drawn together and
form into atoms. Some combinations
would be more likely than others, ac-
counting for the relative abundance
of the different elements In the uni
verse.
Under the hypothesis creation would
be q coustatfhye continuing process.