Evening star., 1940-07-25
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field. Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

By Thomas r. Henry.
The size Of lily blossoms has been In
creased one-fourth by United States
Department Of Agriculture scientists in
one Of the most spectacular results yet
obtained from the use Of the new evolu-
ton elixir. colchicine.
This drug, obtained from crocuses and
formerly used as gout remedy, has
the capacity Of doubling or tripling the
chromosomes in the cells Of plants.
These include the reproductive cells, the
seeds, from which come seedlings strik-
ingly different from the parents Thus,
new species are created; usually larger
than the species from which they spring.
When introduced about six years ago
by scientists of. the Carnegie Institution
of Washington the drug was chiefly Of
academic interest, although its great
eventual potentiaities were recognized.
In the past the production OF new va
rieties has been a slow process Of breed
ing. New species and genera OCCASION
ally appeared in nature through some
abnormality of the germ cells, the cause
of which was unknown. Thus, evolution
along any line was an extremely slow
process. The breeder had to work with
what he found and could not 60 beyond
the limits set by nature, although he
might combine desirable qualities.
has an active agent of evolutionary
change in his hands. The most notable
results to date have been in the produc-
ton of bigger marigolds and snap
dragons. The big lilies, just reported in
the Journal of Heredity, official organ
of the American GeneJic Association,
were obtained by Drs. 8. M. Emsweller
and Philip Briefly of the Department of
Agriculture and apparently it will be
possible henceforth to propagate them
from seed
The lilies themselves may be of con-
siderable economic importance. They
are more significant, however, as mile
stones along the way to drug-induced
evolutionary changes in vegetables and
possibly grains which may increase the
worlds food supply enormously. Prog
ress has been hesitant, to date, because
it is necessary to explore the possibilities
of one species after another.
No results have yet been reported Of
the use of colchicine on animal cells,
o1tbn,Ioh cevoroJ c,,ppocnd1v ,,pc,,ccocc.
full experiments have been carried out.
Once this barrier is crossed man will
have gone long way toward taking
evolution out of the hands of nature.
The great majority Of the hereditary
changes brought about in nature are
not perpetuated because they result in
the death Of the individuals. The same
is true of changes produced by colchicine
treatment, but 1t is possible for man
to produce an enormous number Of
such variations in the hope that one
will prove advantageous.
4 X
Gigantic birds shaped like looms with
teeth set in grooves in powerful jaws
swan in the salt waters of Western
Kansas approximately l00,0000OO years
ago when the great dinosaurs were ap-
preaching the end of their dominance
of the earth
These feathered creatures, the largest
Of which was nearly feet in length, and
must have been veritable nightmare
Of the long vanished seas. were hesper-
rnithiformes-oldest true bird fossil
inc nf p,I,i
the North American continent
Through the milleniums they had
evolved out of reptilian ancestors and
finally had become warm -blooded,
feathered animals which no longer could
be considered as reptiles, although they
still bore many resemblances to the
ancient saurians. Primarily they were
water creatures. They had small wings
with which 1t was not possible to make
true flights.
These ancient creatures hold first place
In an exhaustive catalogue of the fossil
birds of North America just prepared
by DR.. Alexander Wetmore, assistant
secretary of the Smithsonian Institu-
ton. They lived in the upper Cretaceous
geological period. The dinosaurs still
fourished on the continent, but were
on their way to extinction. Some of the
first crude mammals were developing
out of a reptilian ancestry and, 1t ap-
pears, the birds were also evolving out
of similar stock to share with the
mammals the dominance of new world
which lay just ahead
The birds, however, left a much
scantier fossil record. Their evolu-
tionary road was toward light skeleton
adapted for flight. Their relatively
fragile bones were much less likely to
escape the ravages of time and be pre-
served in rock than the heavy skeletons.
especially the skulls, of the emerging
mammals.
Another type of primitive bird, with
toothed jaws and perhaps superficial
resemblance to present-day gulls, shared
the scene These were the ichthyorni-
formes, also water birds and presumably
fish eaters, but with some powers Of
sustained flight. Doubtless there were
other types no trace Of which has been
preserved.
Primitive as they were, these winged
creatures were far from the beginning
of their race. One fossil bird is known
from the Jurassic geological period, mil
lions Of years before the appearance Of
these North American families. There