Show r iF Freaks Eaks k and nd Oddities In hi Science News n. n The Tho scientific story behind discovery of a a. barium barium- U nickel alloy for spark plugs pl gs has been made public by the University of Michigan department of or engineering engl- engl research Years of or experience had established a a. belief belle that nickel wire was the best material for SCIENCE spark plug po points Scientists found FINDS NEW that very pure nickel produced a a. SPARK PLUG much poorer spark plug than the thelIA l IA MATERIAL L commercial nickel Investigation re revealed revealed revealed re- re that the superior sparking of the commercial metal lay in an impurity small por per portions portions of magnesium which originally was added to remove sulphur while the nickel was molten and which was supposed to evaporate completely before coo cooling This magn magnesium ium greatly fa facilitated t. t the tho 1 G spark but it also was used up faster than the nickel with the result that when the magnesium impurity was gone the spark plug deteriorated The magnesium could not be bc distributed evenly and so the Michigan scientists scientists scientists began a search for a substitute which they found in barium In the heat of or the spark the report t states that A barium evaporates away at the same rate as the nickel producing a generally long lived plug with a strong span spark sparl from relatively w low voltage J 3 Patents on a plastic material similar to bakelite U but made from corncobs treated with I acid havo have been granted to Professor O. O R R. Sweeney and have been assigned by him to Iowa State co col col- lege The material is highly resistant to chemical and electrical action and is intended primarily for insulation a I Undersized human beings will be able to add a aU U cubit or two to their stature in the future byuse by byuse byuse use of or pituitary hormone Use of this glandular extract ex extract extract ex- ex tract is just one of the ways in which the man of the future may control his own structure and capacities to the extent that he has already controlled these same things in other animals |