Science 1931 (nem teljes évfolyam) I-II. [antikvár]

SCIENCE Vol. LXXIII Friday, January 2, 1931 No. 1879 The American Association for the Advancement of Science: Present Status of Theory and Experiment as to Atomic Disintegration and Atomic Synthesis: Dr. Robert A. Millikan Scientific Events: The Annual Report of the Director of the U. S. Geological Survey; The National Parh Service; The Niagara Frontier Besearch Council; Appro-priatio7is for Grant-in-Aid hy the National Besearch Council; Officers of the American Chemical Society Scientific Notes and News Discussion : Our Faiina: Dr. Arthur Paul Jacot. Dinosaur Egg Shell Fragments from Montana: Glenn L. Jepsen. Consultants at the Library of Dr. H. W. Tyler Naylor. A Method of Cleaning Microscopical Fossils: Professor I. P. Tolmachoff 15 Special Articles: An Observation which Suggests an Explanation of the Anemia in Hookworm Disease: Dr. Herbert S. Wells. A Relation between Itotenone, Deguelin and Tephrosin: Dr. E. P. Clark. Dissociation of Bacterium Granulosis Noguchi and Identification of the Organism by Means of Babbit Immune Sera: E. B. Tilden 16 Index to Volume LXXII i Science News x 11 Reports: The International Union: W. D. L Geodetic and Geophysical 14 Scientific Apparatus and Laboratory Methods: Pen and Ink Drawings from Photographs: Ernest SCIENCE: A Weekly Journal devoted to the Advancement of Science, edited by J. McKeen Cattell and published every Friday by THE SCIENCE PRESS New York City: Grand Central Terminal Lancaster, Pa. Garrison, N. Y. Annual Subscription, $6.00 Single Copies, 15 Cts. SCIENCE is the official organ of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. luformation regarding membership in the Association may be secured from the office of the permanent secretary, iu the Smithsonian Institution Building, Washington, D. C. PRESENT STATUS OF THEORY AND EXPERIMENT AS TO ATOMIC DISINTEGRATION AND ATOMIC SYNTHESIS' By Dr. ROBERT A. MILLIKAN california institute of technology Mt task to-night is to attempt to trace the history of the development of scientific evidence bearing on the question of the origin and destiny of the physical elements. I shall list ten discoveries or developments all made within the past hundred years which touch in one way or another upon this problem and constitute indications or sign-posts on the road toward an answer. Prior to the middle of the nineteenth eentui-y little experimental STldence of any sort had appeared, so that the problem was wholly in the hands of the philosopher and the theologian. Then came, first, the discovery of the equivalence of heat and work and the consequent formulation of the principle of the conservation of energy, probably the most far-reaching physical principle ever developed. 1 Address of the retiring president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Cleveland, December 29, 1930. Following this and directly dependent upon it came, second, the discovery, or formulation, of the second law of thermodynamics which was first interpreted, and is still interpreted by some, as necessitating the ultimate "heat-death" of the universe and the final extinction of activity of all sorts; for all hot bodies are observed to be radiating away their heat, and this heat, after having been so radiated away into space, apparently can not be reclaimed by man. This is classically and simply stated in the humpty-dumpty rhyme. As a natural if not a necessary corollary to this was put forward by some, in entire accord with the demands of medieval theology, a deus ex machind to initially wind up or start off'this running-down universe. Then came, third, the discovery, through studies both in geology and biology, of the facts of evolution