Evening star., 1950-06-16
Sound Wove Studies
Moy Spur Fora, Yield
Ultro-Fost Tones to BRING
Chonees in Plant HerediN
BY Thomos (. Henry

o1 IhonoS Y. Henfr
Agriculture Department scientists are
studying the possibility OF Increasing
yields and changing heredity BY placing
seeds and bulbs in streams Of ultra
sound waves,
Some sensational possibilities have
been claimed. such as an increase Of aS
much as, so per cent In the yield Of
potatoes and sunfiowers.
The original reports came from Rus
sian ScieptistS in 1864 time when
much more reliance could be placed In
such reports than at present. since
then various private concerns IN the
United States have experimented along
these lines with quite divergent results.
and the reports have not been published.
The present work Is being carried on
by scientists Of the Rural Electrifcation
Administration Of the Agriculture De-
partment. Hybrid seed corn has been
placed in ultra-Sound streams, the sound
wave-lengths being about the shortest
possible to obtain. Some Of this seed has
been planted but will not be ready for
harvest for some time
There are two possibilities, It Is ex-
planned. One Is that the sound waves
actually win change the hereditary char
acter Of the seeds. resulting In 0 few
which will have q much greater yield,
and viii pass this on to future genera-
tions. Testing of this involves dificult
statistical problem and large amounts of
seed must be treated before any con-
clusionS can be drawn.
Something Done TO Seed.
The second possibility Is that the
sound does something to the seed, re-
gardless Of hereditary changes, which
results In plants with much higher
yields.
1t Is planned to make basic attack
on the problem by microscopic studies
to determine just what has happened to
the internal structure of the seeds.
A considerable heating effect would be
expected. but hardly sufficient to affect
heredity. per Sc.
Existence OF another elementary par
ticle Of matter with a lifetime Of less
than o three-billionth of q second has
just been demonstrated at the California
Institute of Technology.
This raises the list Of basic bits Of
matter to Is. starting with the electron.
The twelfth, with q mass Of from 900
to 1900 times that Of the electron, was
announced to the American Physical So
ciety last month by DR.. c. D. Anderson
Of the Cal Tech faculty.
The new particle. whose weight can
not be determined. falls In the same
general category. 1t splits In two bits
a charged particle and an uncharged-
almost inStantaneously after 1t comes
into existence. Proof of its existence
rests on only four tracks on photo
graphic plates, whereas demonstration Of
the first is supported by more than 30
such tracks.
Split by Cosmic Rays
1t Is now considered as an infinitesi-
mally brief condensation of energy into
matter which happens only when atomic
nuclei are split by the most powerful
particles in cosmic rays. Energies re-
quired are far too great ever to be du-
plicated on earth.
The two new particles appear to be
most closely related to the mesons.
sometimes described as the glue" Of the
nucleus. These latter exist in q free
state only about a millionth Of q second,
before they break up into positive and
negative electrons. They are pieces Of
the force" that holds the atomic nucleus
together. q little of which can be re-
leased in the form Of atomic energy.
Still DR.. Anderson and his colleagues
do not consider the two new particles a.
other forms Of meSons. They are GER
tainly the most ephemeral things In ma
ture and study Of them Is expected to
throw much new light on the way the
hearts OF atoms are held together.