| Show v Calls J 1 Man Star tar Alike i ard and W Professor Says People re re e Made of Nothing Unusual UnI Unusual Un Un- I usual or Exotic Mass Harvard h ve started an Interesting the Jie first symposium of a series i eh h speakers after finishing their es ies s In Emerson hall repeated repeater a another audience In an adjoin adjoin- aIL iii IL The Tate Origin of Life was of the symposium The Theis rs is 3 were Prof Barlow Shapley jor or of the Harvard observatory Edward C. C Jeffrey an authority tiny any and Prof KIrsopp Lake L field Beld Is eccle ecclesiastical history I pening Professor Shapley said presenting resenting presenting the diverse points of off of f astronomy biology theology logy iee Tee ee are here tonight to discuss discus 0 problem The Orl Origin Origine In V e with each ench other Y You may mayn In n If you jou ou care to We are not 1 Ifo t pretend that we know what Is I gin of life life far far from that We Ve Weere Were i iro ere re ro to confess that we do not tint k tare are three of ot a n kind all InterIan Interi Inter Inter- Ian i the relation of human life to verse erse of things s each ench lukin looking problem problem rum rain his own structure ture dy dy y and training and all hopeless- hopeless dle e In getting to a final answer discussing the time subject we may just what the problem is we ear away some of the super tl- tl and weedy thoughts the origin of life We tummy 10 to o each ench other and to you who whoa t I a n that subjects such Buch a us as these y 1 r synthetic treatment rapid pro progress of the natural es ea during the last generation or wring ring the last lust decade has sup sup- abundant reasons f for r restating h e ws vs of the Importance of if life In verse There is one reason per per- r. r I Why uhf hy we v should consider that life t aa as more significance titan than wasly was ly ass assigned geed to It The anal analyses es e chemical constitution of man flan rock and star h by the chemist phY Physicist and the astrophysicist sl st I j I. I fought to light the remarkable Ity of atomic structure f t. t I h hI brout out the whole universe e. e lot Chemically Unusual e Ie e as ae we human hein beings s are so a hi In time and und space spare yet et the 1 elements of which we nr are 1 J also are also aiRO the predominant Hethe He- He Ie- Ie in the crust of the ea earth Ith and II nil 1 re lent ent n if not predominant compon compo compo- 9 1 0 n the structure tru ture o of f the fier fiery and 1 stars stare We e are chemically i I p o Jf J r f nothing unusual or exotic we wei fart of f the general scheme lIeme of and we O conid ask for or no higher I i allty lity than to be he us as we c seem scent to J 1 o de e of f the same stuff as us the eter eter- I j The knowledge that the flue Ind of or e electrons 1 and protons proton y es ethical atoms make up living lI ores orand or- or sand and the remote lemote stars and o In Jn space apace seems to enhance the cance nce of ot life tife J f ton toD 1 the other hand there are ort at atJe Je ve modern modem products of scientific ch h which seem to me mime to cumin cumin- ti most gost to tIm the e g point the thence theof mince nce of life In m the tie universal r m 0 One ne of ot those developments development isy I Is I Ir t y o b hers rose researches Searches arches In P ph physiology ysl l and anil rs us as might be he expected fire are ana ens from the studies of stars stare l 0 anete duration Uon Of various recognizes recognizes- J 3 liar maneuvers has been heen found nt nt research to be bc inconceivably than we Wc previously thought think the earth is ig corn com cornage J. J In age with the stars 1 We e c e see 3 t gin or of the earth and Its r j r development o ot t late lite fiS as one debe ele- ele PIc be J recent history 3 of the tars tarn and now better recognize y 1 r Ity tp of or organic existence f eun p laced Indifferently O now find that the the solar h not central i p situated wIth tI I respect to the stars but that the sun Is Indifferently placed far from the center center center cen cen- ter of the galactic s system Not only isIs Is IsIs IsIs Is casually situated but it Is ordinary ordinal In size and brightness In the tile same sam wa way that we had to give up the geocentric geocentric geocentric Idea of the un universe erse we now give up the heliocentric and md with ith that surrender surrender sur StIr render the significance of life Ufe decreases de de- creases But nut from the astronomers astronomer's point of view the most potent factor In decreasIng decreasing ing our respect for the problem of life Ufe Is the prevalent interpretation of the origin of the planetary s system stem The nebular h hypothesis has been abandoned abandoned abandoned aban aban- and In giving that up we give i e up the Idea that the birth of planets that may later Inter bear ear life Is the normal normal normal nor nor- mal process in the evolution of the thc star We e now see In inthe the birth bl bl h of the earth a n fortuitous the circumstance the encounter of our sun some ome thousands tho of millions of years rears ago ngo with a n still greater grenter star tar resulting In the tidal disruption disruption disruption dis dis- of the outer layers of la layers ers of the time solar atmosphere From the d debris bris of that encounter the planets have hove formed and because e anse no similar encounter er has hns since red the Ule family of frn fragments ments have Itac heen been maintained long enough for forthe forthe forthe the development e of protoplasmic chent- chent at Jea least t on one of them then Nature of Material Life In conclusion Doctor Shapley said To Tr summarize the astronomers astronomer's contribution con con- to the symposium on the Origin in of Life we may ask what can mn he ny av o of the nature of nf material life and his tentative answer will be that It is a highly complicated ensemble of chemical actions subject to the laws of the an universe universe an unstable Dunstable and andery very ery delicately balanced chemistry chemis try What can tan he lie tell ten of the origin af n of life Apparently that Is but one the evolution the rhe in a natural chemical evolution e inevitable development tle of matter and efler energy when the physical conditions In the environment are right What can cm he f say IY of f time the PIn place ce of Ii life fe in space ce Trivial an 1 organic scum that for the time being coats part paTt of the surface of f one small planet thatIs that thatIs Is Ig itself a n castoff fragment ft of a 11 stir stirn n star that Is now no indifferently situ POWERFUL LIGHTHOUSE a I r i tit Ef i I r r e ray s s ti t J rr i if Y Above Is shown the gigantic revolving ing oil lighthouse lantern which can be seen at nt a distance of 93 OJ miles which has Just been heen constructed at It has hns British candlepower candlepower candle candle- power with a triple flash e C every cry 20 seconds sec sec- The revolving portion of the apparatus weighs weichs pounds The light Is to be used on Eclipse Island Western Vestern Australia a ted In a s system stem of thousands of millions mil ml- lions of similar stars What can cnn he tell of the place of life In time Temporary the stars evolved and revolved for before the thc earth was born born they they will doubtless doubtless doubt doubt- le less continue to fulfill their destiny to roll on quite unperturbed long after the scum has evaporated and the terrestrIal ter ter- experiment ds os over What can he tell of the significance of life If any In the time march of sidereal evolution What hat of lis its meaning i Nothing T Pro Prof Edward C. C Jeffrey Jeffre authority on ion plant morphology was the second speaker Cl A summary of his of-his hi hia remarks on The Origin of Life on Land follows follows follows fol fol- fol- fol lows The biologist seems to be Justified In fin c adopting neither the mechanistic Jor or the attitude in regard to the time origin of life since we know nothIng nothing noth noth- ing whatever about the tho manner In which Hiving diving matter made mafle Its appearance appearance appearance appear appear- ance upon our earth The Time best Informed Informed informed In In- formed biochemists frankly a admit that th they know nothing regarding the time origin of life He TIe then gave ga a definition of life Ilfe or rather rathor of living matter matt and ent gent on There here are two tuo kinds of Ih living matter matter matter mat mat- ter plants and animals The former are Intimately related relate In their essential essential essen essen- activities to potassium while the latter show an nn equally close relation to the alkali metal sodium Plants are and find always s 's have been much more b 1 t h 1 I 1 10 n. n t a ant ant man an and VC af a II consequence exerted a n much more fundamental Influence upon ou earth and Its atmosphere The definition of life upon land he said depends on organization atlon rather than activities Land animals are constructed constructed constructed con con- to breathe air by means of ot lungs while water animals respire ater water wa wa- ter through their gills Land Lund plants are ore provided with an un elaborate mechanism mechanism mech mech- tom for absorbing conducting and evaporating water which is entirely absent in t typical water plants There however of land man many mammy cases plants living In water ater and fewer of water plants living H on land Similar Animal Contrasts On tOn the animal side there are ure simi simi- liar contrasts between essential organization organization organization and the time mode lUode of life For example ex ex- example ample whales and porpoises are fun fun- terrestrial in their structure tine ture yet et the they inhabit the sea sen On theother the theother theother other hand u aquatic animals such MICh as us the the the-erus are ure able to carry car car- car carry 1 ry on an some soi sort t o of existence on land It H Is generally conceded that aquatic forms were the ancestors of both land plants und mind land Urn animals Since it Js is er very ery generally conceded that biology is 18 fundamentally a historical tile his science In InIe view Ie of the time essential churu of living matter mutter It follows fol fol- lows Jews lime emI early forums of plants and are ure of great reut importance On Oil time the side our knowledge e is great great- greatly greaty G y ly J d both by lIy the thc poverty po of ot material and al also by l y the thc tact fact that we Wl weare are aie as ts IS a n rule familiar with the Kurd hurl part s or 11 skeleton only nl of the earlier forms onus In the JIM C-JIM caf a If f plants we e urcin mire are In a much better p position since the structural features of the earlier curlier land hind and sometimes plants are Hrc frequently abundantly preserved cod In mill all their pull parts The Devonian supplies us with time tho I earliest earlle t trustworthy evidence e of plant Ilant life on land In that period the hl higher types of were still for time the mot host part purt confined l to the time waters utters and lUll bad made no excursion on the time lands In other words from roam rol the l point of view the time Devonian a l the Age of Fishes Recent discoveries cries of Devonian Oe land plants in both Europe rand and Amur i ica en ca give us for 01 the first time n m rather complete picture of the time earliest high life on land The fhe most primitive De Dt Devonian vonian plants ere were and und rootless is and presented a n bizarre und mind archaic appearance both hoth ns us a u re suit sull of their primitive organization i but hut still more because the they lacked the th I gl grace of ot foliage which lends charm charms to the time denizens of our modern modem fields field and forests These Devonian plants aruba I strong proof for the doctrine of ot Lion or descent since they actually realize the organization which hue haa I been theoretically predicted for or the thu earliest land lond plants |
