Evening star., 1942-03-10
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
BIZ Thomas r. Henry.

And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
Uncle Sam must have at least 375 900
fighting flyers in the next two years.
This is the estimate of the American
Association for the Advancement of
Science Committee named by the War
Department to determine the minimum
educational requirements and how they
can be met by existing educational in
stitutions.
The committee, headed by Prof. Will
liam L. Hart-of the University of Mime
sofa. has just reported. The Army Air
Corps has accepted the report, it is
announced by DR.. Forest r. Moulton,
permanent secretary of the association.
A ground school course which can be
telescoped into about II weeks for men
who have studied elementary algebra and
geometry has been proposed.
Says DR.. Moulton: THE program of
production of military planes which
President Roosevelt announced two or
three weeks ago-5O0O0 planes in 1912
and $4,000 in 1943-calls for at least
trained aviation personnel of 10000
this year and 225 900 next year. An un-
known fraction of these will have had a
considerable part Of the necessary COL
lege training and will enter the service
directly.
1T will be Of very great aid to the
national defense to give as many of the
| remainder as possible most of their pre-
training in educational institutions. II
the number to be trained in our schools
should be half of the total required-or
$4,000 and 112, 900 in the next two years
the number of classes would necessarily
be enormous and the facilities OF our
universities would be taxed. Conse-
quently it is Important to start the
courses at once and to prepare the men
for the air service as rapidly as possible.
There is so much publicity about
combat pilots that there is danger of
overestimating the importance of other
aviation personnel and the number re-
quired. The crew of bomber plane
often consists of four or five men. In
long range bombing the navigator holds
a position comparable to that of the
navigator of ship and perhaps more
difficult to fill. Upon him depend the
lives of a considerable number of men
and equipment whose cost runs into
hundreds Of thousands of dollars The
mental and physical requirements for
pilots and for navigatorS are so differ
ent that many Of many types are
required"
The basic course Of study laid down
includes solid training in advanced alge-
bra, solid geometry, plane and spherical
trigonometry, general astronomy and
physics. Unless thousands of men are
started on these courses OF study at
once, the committee emphasizes. the vast
output of planes will be without compe-
tent pilots.
The Appalachian Mountains comprise
. torn and blotted manuscript Of the
first 100000 years Of the history Of
life on earth
They consist largely OF the uplifted
sediments deposited in a narrow arm of
the ancient Arctic which at times
stretched southwark as far as Alabama,
starting about SOC, 900 900 years ago.
similar arm of the northern ocean
covered much Of the area of the present
Rockies.
The sediments contained remains of
the characteristic forms of life at the
beginning creatures known IS
trilobites, enormous cup-shaped sponges,
brochiopods which looked like walnuts.
tiny algae, and limestone secreted from
their bodies.
A new page In the record Of this i'm
mense stretch of history has just been
defined by DR.. Charles E. Resser, Smith
sonian Institution paleontologist, in a
study Of the so-called Maryville forma-
ton OF the southern Appalachians. 1t
crops out chiefly in Tennessee and Is
characteristic Of the closing millenniums
of the so-called Middle Cambrian.
The Maryville is limestone forma-
ton. 1t is about 460,O0O000 years old.
DR.. Resser has been able to trace it
through much OF Its extent in the East
and to identify nearly so different species
OF primitive sea animals whose remains
are embalmed In its rocks.
The animals are, for the most part,
trilobites. They were a race that failed
after dominating the seas for the greater
part of the first life period on earth.
Although different in species, they are
genericauy the same as animals of the
same race whose fossil remains are
found in Rocky Mountain deposits. The
finds make possible new age correlations
between the two sides of the continent.
Hitherto the Maryville formation has
been considered sadly deficient in re-
mains of living things. 1t is limestone
and consequently evidence of the pres
ence of plants or animals somewhere at
the time it was laid down. Limestone
always is an indication of organic chem
ical processes.
But it is likely, DR.. Resser said, the
life forms lived for the most part else
where and the lime which they secreted
was carried to the present locations by
the currents in the shallow arm of the
sea.