Evening star., 1941-04-17
Animals Turn Airs
Carbon Dioxide Into
Sugar, Science Finds
Have Some Capacities
AS Plants to Limited
Degree, Research Shows
BY Q staff Correspondent of The Star

By Staff Correspondent of The Star
CHICAGO, April 1.-THE hith-
erto unknown basic phenomenon of
nature-the ability of animals to
transform carbon dioxide in the air
directly into sugars and starches-
was reported here today.
This ability on the part of plants,
so-called photosyntheSiS, is the basic
process of all life. All green plants
take the gas out of the air, combine
1t with water which they absorb
through their roots, and make their
own food
Animals get their sugars and
starches by eating plants or other
animals which have eaten plants.
But, it was reported by Drs Albert
3. Hastings, B. Vennesland, A. K.
Solomon and F. w. Klemperer of
Harvard University, animals have, to
a very limited degree, the same
capacities as plants.
Fed Carbon Di0xide.
They fed rats carbon dioxide in
the form of radioactive baking
soda. This radioactive form was
developed year ago by physicists
of the Carnegie Institution of Wash
ington and was considered one of
the great advances in study of the
basic processes of life.
BY means of Geiger counter, an
instrument which detects radioac-
tivity, it was possible to follow the
process of the soda through the
body. 1t was discovered that a por-
tion of it was. being used to build UP
animal sugars in the liver. The
supply thus built up acts as a re-
serve for the body.
In order to make this process pos
slble, they reported certain engines
chemical substances which initiate
chemical combinations without TAX
ing part in them-are necessary. Up
to the present, however, investigators
have been unable to determine their
nature.
A new human engine was re-
ported at the same meeting by DR..
Britten Chance of the University of
Pennsylvania.
When hydrogen peroxide, we'll
known antiSeptic, is poured on
wound, violent foaming results.
This is due, DR.. Chances expert
ments show, to the newly discovered
engine which combines very rapidly
with the peroxide.
The reaction was studied by per-
mitting the engine substance and
a peroxide compound to come to-
gether while in the process of f1ow-
ing rapidly down a small glass tube.
BY observing the action at various
parts of the tube through a spectro-
scope it was possible to determine
how rapidly, and in what manner,
reaction took place.
Calculates Blood in Body.
A new method of calculating the
total amount of blood in the body
by examining blood samples after
injection of blood known to con-
tain radioactive iron compounds
was described by DR. P. F. Hahn of
the University Of Rochester.
He fed the radioactive iron COM
pounds to a dog whose blood was
deficient in iron. Samples of this
animals blood cells then were in
jecteo into normal dog. These
radioactive cells mixed freely with
the blood of the other dog, and be-
came evenly distributed throughout
the blood stream.
BY taking samples from the blood
Of the normal dog, and testing the
amount of radioactivity in each
sample. the proportion of the orig
inal injection present could be de-
termined. From this figure it was
possible to calculate with a high de-
gree OF accuracy the total amount of
blood in the body
The same technique, it was point
ed out, may be applicable to man.
BY It one can measure the rate of
blood flow and the total number of
red blood cells in the body.