Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-01-07
Stars, Men and Atoms
New Position Determined
For North Magnetic Pole
Canada's Dominion Observatory
Reports on Two Year Survey
D.. TLa ID IL
By Thomas r. Henry


new position for the north magnetic pole
more than 100 miles northwest Of the spot now
marked on most maps, has been determined by
Canada's Dominion Observatory after extensive
surveys during the past two years.
The location, which Is expected to remain
approximately fixed. has been reported to the
Arctic Institute of North America point in
the northwestern part of Prince of Wales Island
north of Cana at approximately 70 north
latitude and 100 west longitude.
Site Of the pole was determined more than
century ago by the great British polar ex-
plorer, Sir James Clark Ross, after l00-mile
trek on foot Ross fixed the spot at 10 north
latitude and Sc west longitude. This. he deter
mined from "a hours of observation, was the
center of an area Is miles in diameter around
which the pole was moving He raised the
British flag and formally claimed the region
in the name of William w.
Accepted Until Two Years Ago
This position generally was accepted until
about two years ago. when American flyers
crossing the Arctic Basin and the North Pole
reported that this focus of the Northern Henri
spheres magnetism had made a major shift
northwestward. This was only casual obser-
walton. 1t was recognized that the magnetic
pole can be considered only as a theoretical
point, the center of an area throughout which
the compass needle points straight downward.
The Canadian observers flew to the shore Of
Allen Lake in Northwestern Prince of Wales
Land and determined that the pole travels
daily in an irregular circle with radius Of
about Is miles on magnetically quiet day
and so miles on disturbed day. These obser-
vations have been checked by magnetic
observations at 10 stations throughout the
Canadian islands.
The present position Is by far the most
accurate yet determined, but admittedly it Is
not the final answer. complete solution Of
the problem will not be possible, the Canadian
scientists say in their report to the Arctic
Institute, until magnetic stations have been
established in Victoria Land, Banks Island,
Prince Patrick Island, where the westernmost
OF series of Canadian-Unted States weather
stations has been set up. Melville Island and
the northwest corner of Bathurst Island
Until quite recently the precise location Of
the pole was of great practical Importance
since navigation depended so much on the
compass Today, however. fixing of the point
is OF little more than theoretical significance.
**
Blood cells have short lives
Red cells have a mean existence of about
81 days after they are created in the bone
marrow. White cells complex of several
different types with different lifetimes, average
only 10 days. Less than 10 per cent of them
may persist little longer.
This is the finding, made possible by the
use OF radioactive phosphorus, one of the major
isotopes found valuable for tracing physiologi-
cal processes, just reported to the British Asso-
citation for the Advancement of Science by Dr.
j. Ottison of the Institute of Theoretical Physics
OF the University of Copenhagen. The work
was carried out with the assistance of Prof
Nels Bohr, one of the worlds great authori.
ties on atomic behavior.
Experiments With Hens
DR.. Ottlson, by complex process, was able
to incorporate the radioactive phosphorus into
the nucleic acid which is major constituent of
all cells. The experiments, he explains, were
carried out with hens The lifetimes Of human
blood cells may not be the same, but it can
be assumed that they are of the same general
order. Both red and white cells constantly are
being manufactured in the bone marrow and
fed into the blood stream as the old ones die
and are discarded.
Although it has been recognized for some
time that the blood is quite transtory, precise
measurements of its life span are extremely
difficult, and those carried out at Copenhagen
are the most accurate made up to now It has
been determined that the white blood cells
are the first parts of the organism to be
affected by atomic radiation. Revelation Of
their extremely short life gives some basis for
this susceptibility, contrasted with the relative
high resistance of the red blood cells