Evening star., 1951-01-31
Life Believed Possible
On Millions of Planets
Tests Open Hope Thot Chemists
Muy Explain How 1t Sturts
By Thomas R. Henry

ny tnomoS K. 1enN
There may be life on millions of
planets in the solar system.
1t appears to be regular phenome-
non which will appear on any planet
where conditions are appropriate.
This is a speculation of DR.. Harold
c. Urey, of the University of Chicagos
Institute for Nuclear Studies, mentioned
in forecast on the future of chemistry
issued by the Franklin Institute It
opens up the hope. he said, that even
tually chemists will be able to explain
how life gets started.
Two developments. DR.. Urey explains,
support this hope. Within the past few
years it has been almost conclusively
demonstrated by DR.. Gerard Kuiper,
Chicago University astronomer, that life
exists on Mars. 1t appears to be only
a low order of plant life but it Is Of the
same general type as life on earth. and.
after ALL the gulf between a moss and
man is hardly as great as between a
moss and anything non-living.
Developed Independently.
Thus, it appears, life was developed
independently on two planets with some
what similar conditions and between
which there could be no possible associa-
tion. Until few years ago it generally
was believed that solar systems with
planets revolving around central star
were rare ir the universe and that this
one might be unique Now, DR.. Urey
declares, it seems probable that one star
IN every thousand is quite similar to
the sun and may possess similar systems
OF planets.
Life histories of these planets must
have been quite similar. Stars with
possible planetary systems would easily
number 20 million.
The second DEVELOPMENT was the
crystallization of large protein mole
cules. which are the building stones of
all living organisms, and the demonstra-
ton that there is continuous-although
perhaps very wide-bridge between these
molecules and living things themselves,
The protein molecule itself is too COM
plex to be synthesized at present. but
this obviously happened in nature in
two distinct places. The molecule itself
is not living, but it is an essential pre-
cursor to life.
Evolutions boiling points are scat
tered around the world.
They are so-called gene centers"
where, due to causes not clearly UNDER
stood, there is a striking tendency for
living things to develop new hereditary
forms.
Locations may differ for different
types OF organisms. The phenomenon
mas been studied especially as it affects
oomestlcated plants. There are eight
centers out of which have come the
majority OF crops of value to man.
A STUDY OF one of these, located in
ASA Minor along the Black Sea Coast.
is reported by DR.. j. r. Harlan of the
United States Department of Agricul-
lure. He has carried out extensive plant
explorations in the region which appar-
entity has oeen an active producer of new
species from time immemorial
DR.. Harlan especially was interested
IN whether native American plants, such
as corn squash and tobacco, would reach
the evolution boiling point when trans
planted IN this region. All developed a
Woe diversity in the New World GEN.
tulles ago, were standardized into a few
concentrated species and have remained
practically stationary ever since. All
were introduced into Turkey not later
than the 10th century and always have
been domesticated
Same Phenomenon in Past.
Ihere can be no question, Dr. Harlan
reports in communication to the
American Association for the Advance
ment OF Science, that the same phenom-
enon has taken place as that reported
Tor Old World crops in the distant past.
New varieties have continued to evolve
at much faster rate than anywhere in
the New World.
few factors responsible for this can
De isolated. First the region is well
adapted for these types of plants. Sec
ond' an intensive, standardized agricul-
ture has not developed Once this hap
pens there is human interference with
natural selection with everything pos
slole done to favor profitable varieties
and smother poorer ones.
1hese factors, however, only 90 little
way in providing an explanation of the
gene centers. Other and more significant
factors which cannot now be isolated
must be in operation.