Evening star., 1937-01-02

Inc past year IN science ms seen
the fruition of sge-old endeavors for
better understanding and mastery of
nature, rather than striking de-
partures along new lines.
Goals such as the actual transmu-
tation of matter and the isolation
Of atomic energy which seemed fam
tastic q decade ago actually have
been reached.
In physics came the final realization
of the age-old dream OF the alchemists
Of turning baser metals into gold, but
on q very small scale. TranSmuta-
tions Of the elements have been &C
complished by bombarding the nucleii
of atoms with neutrons, protons and
deutrons In electric fields ranging up
to 100000 volts. At the University
Of California tiny amounts of platinum
were transformed into gold by using
deutrons as bullets. At the California
Institute Of Technology beryllium
atoms were formed from sodium by
bombardment with protons. At Co.
lumbia sodium was changed into
by neutron bombardment.
Perhaps the most striking development
in this field has been the imparting
of radioactivity artificially to different
atoms. More than 40 elements have
been used in these experiments, and to
each of them has been impaired an
artificial radioactivity, hitherto con-
fined to radium, thorium and uranium.
Probably the years outstanding
event in physics was the final isola-
tion by DR.. M. A. Tuve and his as
sociates Of the Carnegie Institution
of Washington Of the force that binds
protons and neutrons together in the
nuclei OF atoms. This force, called
"supergravity," Is billion billion bill
lion billion times more powerful
than gravity over the infinitesimably
minute distances In which 1t operates.
1t is the long-sought atomic energy,
the most powerful thing in the world,
which was long postulated to exist
before the development of high
voltage "proton guns" made possible
its actual discovery.
vitamin b Synthesised.
In biochemistry the year saw the
first successful synthesis of vitamin
B, accomplished by Robert B. Will
liams after 26 years Of effort. By
charting the shorelines of geologically
ancient seas, L. r. Laudon Of the Uni
versity of Oklahoma is revealing huge
new potential Oil resources at depths
of miles or more. Two miles have
been considered in the past the abso-
ute bottom" for oil reservoirs. As
one of the results of the exploration
of the stratosphere by the balloon
Explorer II, 1t was shown that the
composition Of the atmosphere at
about 10000 feet shows virtually no
change in the ratio of nitrogen to
oxygen.
Widely heralded during the year
have been two developments Of plates
for polarizing light. One Of these
depends upon the formation Of tiny
crystals in an elastic medium which
is cemented between glass plates. The
other method depends upon the for
nation on the surface of a glass plate
of single large, thin crystal.
Outstanding in the medical develop
ments Of the year was the introduce
ton by Drs Howard Kane and George
B. Roth Of the George Washington
University Medical School Of q new
childbirth anasthesia made up Of
and benzyl alcohol which
Is reported to be greatly superior to
drugs previously used to produce
oblivion In this process.
Brain Operation Introduced.
A surgical operation on the brain
With very far = reaching implications
wax nrst introduced TO the United
States this year by Drs, Walter Free
nan and James W. Watts Of the
George Washington faculty after II
nsd been hrst made in Portugal. BY
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