Show J Enables Animals To Select Habitat I Hundreds of millions of ot years ago agon in n the early ages of the earths earth's his his- tory ory the atmosphere of or the earth carth had practically no oxygen in it and the oceanic waters were less salty and less lessin lessin in n volume than now Professor Alfred Allred C. C 1 Lane of or Tufts Tuft college declared in inus his us presidential address before the Geological Ecological Society of Amei America Amelica ica recent recent- ly y in session in Oklahoma Visualizing the source of or the air and nd the water of the earth has the outpouring outpouring out- out pouring of gasses from volcanoes over overlong overlong long ong periods of the early geologic his his- tory ory Professor Lane explained that water vater and carbon dioxide arc are the most common gases erupted by vol vol- canoes The water formed the oceans when the he earth cooled sufficiently and the carbon arbon dioxide was partly turned into limestone and iron carbonates in the earth arth earth but mostly used by plants when they hey evolved upon earth Professor Lane declared that the petroleum coal oal peat natural gas and other car car- matter in m the earths earth's crust during their formation liberated enough nough oxygen to account for or the amount in the tile air of or the earth In this rarefied oxygen world life Ufe must have originated It It seems to me rae probable as a hunch said Professor Lane that while life began in a rather peculiar and individual environment which the chemist and biologist after much experimenting have not yet et been able to reproduce it has gradually varied to fit varying environments and found a profit m in n new reactions chemical chemical chemi chemi- cal and otherwise As the earth grew older its waters grew saltier until at about the close of the pre Cambrian geological period some years ago it passed the thc physiological optimum of eight parts per thousand It was then that organisms began to Lo secrete some of the extra salts and andI I those that secreted them internally acquired skeletons while those that secreted on the outs outside de grew shells Professor Lane believes Some ani animals ani ani- mals mats at this time as fossils in m the rocks show took to land others to fresher waters inland and others stayed and learned to live in the seaTo sea To describe the tendency or sense shown by evolving ing life to know where you arc are well off of and go there Professor sor Lane coined a new word Euto He urged that this sense be used in these troubled times to better conditions in the world |