Evening star., 1948-12-06
Stars, Men and Atoms
Rock From AtolIs Sent
Here for Study Of Origin
British Samplinss of so Years Ago,
New Specimens to Be Compared
Bv Thomas X. Henry

L
Two tons of rock from the British Museum
have just been sent to Washington in an
effort to determine the origin of the atolls-
the ring-shaped coral islands, thousands Of
which dot the Pacific.
This rock was collected nearly so years ago
by joint British h-Australian scientific expe.
dition, and 1t has been stored in London ever
since Early analysis of the rock, gathered
from the atoll of Funafuti in the Ellce Is.
lands, shed little light on its origin.
At the time of the atomic bomb tests at
Bikini the United States Geological Survey.
cooperating with the Office of Naval Re-
search, sank several dry wells at Bikini-
about 1900 miles from Funafuti-to depths of
$500 feet. Samples of these borings brought
to Washington gave quite different picture
from that deduced from the British specimens.
Fossils, for example, indicated an age of from
100000 to 100000 years for the basic
rocks on which the coral structure had been
built. The type of rock also was quite diff
ferent.
Comparisons Planned.
The classic theory of atoll formation was
that advanced more than a century ago by
Charles Darwin He postulated that the pecui-
iarly shaped little islands were built up by
the corals on foundation of undersea vol-
canoes. NelLHer the American nor brlIlSn
specimens support this thesis.
The British rocks have been stored at the
United States National Museum. Experts of
the Geological Survey will make minute COM
parsons between them and the specimens
gathered on the Bikini expedition. 1t is hoped
that radically new methods developed since
the Funafuti expedition will reveal much that
may have been overlooked in the analysis 80
years ago.
The majority Of the specimens are what geol.
ogists call "cores'-rock cylinders inches in
diameter and about 10 inches long. Other
specimens are chips and fragments. From the
cores, thin sections will be made for study
under powerful microscopes. A major effort
will be for better determination of ages by
detecting fossils of sea micro-organisnls which
may have been missed in the past.
There was a race of giants before man.
Fossil remains of creature which must have
had many human traits and which was twice
as large as gorilla but presumably consider
ably more man-lke than any of the great apes.
now are being found.
The latest discovery has just been announced
by the University OF California African expedi-
ton. 1t consists of several teeth and most Of
lower jaw found in South African limestone
cave by Dr. Robert Broom, noted paleontologist
of the Transvaal Museum, who now Is asso-
ciated with the expedition.
Other finds were announced about three
years ago in Java and South China. Although
representing quite different type from the
new South African ape man these ancient crea-
lures who lived more than 900 years ago,
showed definite human characters.
The South African find is of particular in
terest because of the discovery last year In the
same locality of fossil remains of dwarf ape
which seemed more characteristically human
than any pre-men hitherto described.
Present indications, it is explained, are that
at about the time of the birth of the human
race nature produced q lot of models-blg
and smal-out of. the general ape family and
finally selected one Of medium size for con-
tinued and intensive development. Apparent
ly, the ground work of the great experiment
was carried out in two major natural labora-
tories South Africa and the East Indies
Africa has afforded the greatest variety OF
specimens but there is some reason to believe
that the actual progenitor of man came from
the Asian group. This f1ts best with the
known facts of migration.
"On the evidence to date" says DR.. Broom
of the South African fnds I'VE can say that
a new type of ape man has been discovered
which Is larger than those previously known.
Already conclusive evidence has been obtained
that these ape men are like, and probably
ancestral to, man. They are not closely re"
lated to living apes"
The time of the South African apes re-
mains indefinite. They may have been at
almost any period from 100000 to 100000
years ago.