Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-12-28
Big Tropical Forests Seen
As Evolutionary Cradle
Scientist Believes Areas Are Source
of New Forms of Life
Bv Thomas r. Henry

NEW YORK. Dec. 28.-Great tropical for
ests are an evolutionary cradle. From them
new life forms arise to populate the earth.
This thesis was presented before the
American Association for the Advancement
of Science here by Prof. Theodosius Dob
zhansky of Columbia University, one Of the
worlds leading authorities on genetics.
He offered an evolutionary theory that
differs in important aspects from that of
Charles Darwin. but avoids the pitfalls Of
other schools.
Where Life Is Easier.
Evolution, In classical theories, depends
on survival Of the fittest." In such regions
as the Amazon Basin, DR.. Dobzhansky ex-
planned, life is easier for plants and animals.
There are few of the great droughts or killing
frosts encountered in the temperate zones.
These kill of vast numbers OF individuals
Unfortunately. Survival Is more matter
of accident than fitness Thus there are few
notable changes in the pattern of life.
In the teeming tropics, however, fitness"
is determined not so much by external nature
as by competition among species themselves
within a crowded environment and it be-
comes necessary for each to adapt itself to
some niche in which 1t can survive, the
geneticist said.
This, he argued, leads to an enormous
variety of adaptations. There are creative
what analogous to inventions on the human
level. Elimination due to competition comes
to individuals over long periods, rather than
to great masses simultaneously, as would be
the case with a major climatic change In
the temperate zone.
Offspring Of unborn mothers are throwing
light on the heredity of death.
1t long has been claimed that certain
N~A ,.,n{tc IS 14k14 al
spring always are born dead Naturally it
has been impossible to prove this since breed
ing experiments were impossible. The matter
is of considerable Importance, however, in
considering the possible hereditary effects Of
radiation injuries, such as would come from
an atomic bomb explosion.
DR.. w. L. Russell and Mrs. Josephine s.
Cover of the Oak Ridge, Tenn, laboratory
of the Atomic Energy Commission. reported
incredibly delicate operations in which they
removed ovarieS from unborn female mice,
who supposedly carried the letha1 gene and
would be born dead, and transplanted them
into normal females. Thus offspring literally
were obtained from mothers who never were
born.
doubt Of the actual existence Of the lethal
gene.
The American comic" book or magazine
has become a $4,000, 900 industry.
More than 100000 copies are sold
monthly. comprising approximately a third
OF the total magazine trade. They are being
translated into 80 languages and circulated
In 100 countries
!. These figures were reported to the associa-
ton by DR.. Lawrence A. AverilI of the
Worcester. Mass, State Teachers College.
He has just completed study Of the re-
actions to the comics Of more than 1000
Massachusetts, children who are probably
fairly typical Of the country as a whole.
While not intrinsically worse than the
Wld West and detective tales of another
generation, DR.. Averill said thew NAV h.
providing an unhealthy escape from facing
the real problems of life.