Evening star., 1936-11-14
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field.
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

California's giant sequoias no longer
are unchallenged as the oldest of living
things.
The Western jumpers, much smaller
trees which also grow in the Sierra Ne
vada Mountains, are close rivals, it is
shown by recent investigation by scien-
fists of the Carnegie Institution of Wash
1ngton.
DR.. Waldo S. Clock of the Carnegie
staff found one specimen which, as de-
termined by a sample count of its rings,
is at least 5000 years old. The greatest
age of a sequoia thus far found is $3.50
years. The juniper is entitled at least
to the distinction Of being the second
Oldest individual in the world.
This particular tree, as described in
the Carnegie Institution report, measures
81 feet and inches in circumference at
the ground and AZ feet and 8 inches 6
feet above the ground. 1t is about 80 feet
high. 1t required at least TOO years for
the last foot to be added to its radius.
The species Is one Of exceedingly slow
growth. Many other Western jumpers
up to and 10 feet In diameter were
examined by DR.. Clock, who believes that
the average life span of individuals Of
this race may at least equal that of the
redwoods.
The western juniper is found in the
high mountains from Idaho and WASH
ington southwark to Southern California.
It exists in greatest abundance at sub
alpine heights on precipitous canyon
walls and rocky ridges. The roots that
anchor 1t into the rock crevices often
appear hopelessly located for their task
of supplying food to the tree. In spite
of its precarious habitats, the tree has
an astounding tenacity Of life. Lightning
may blast it or wind and fire destroy it,
but II q remnant of bark remains intact
it will live on. Because of the constant
exposure, the majority of these trees
have q gnarled and grotescue appear
ance.
Gigantic clans, nearly five feet long
and weighing more than 400 pounds,
who raise crops of microscopic plants for
their own sustenance are among the fan
tastes of nature reported by the British
Museums Great Barrier Reef Expedition.
These molluscan titans have formed a
curious partnership with the zooxan-
thellae, a family Of microscopic algae.
The plants live as parasites in the blood
cells of the inner lobes Of the CLAIMS
mantle. Upon this mantle is lenslike
structure which looks like an eye. It
was determined, however, that the mol
luscs are blind as any other CLAIMS, and
that the eyelike protuberances are only
means of admitting light to the parasitic
algae within the blood cells.
The surplus Of the algae is carried by
the blood stream to the CLAIMS digestive
organs, where 1t serves as food.
The Dead Sea isn't quite dead-even
with q salt content Of nearly 80 per cent
in its waters.
A few drops Of its water, according
to a report in the British scientific jour-
nal Nature, contained four microscopic
living things One is a phyto-f1agelant,
tiny plant only 13 microns In length.
A micron is millionth Of meter. The
other three are bacteria-one only two
microns long which produces yeastlike
orange pigment: one q rodlike organism
about 8 microns long, and one q thread
like organism-a veritable whale Of