SCIENCE and INVENTIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16847, 11 May 1918, Page 3 (Supplement)

SCIENCE and INVENTIONS.

NEW INSULATING MATERIAL. A novel insulating material is composed of 52 per cent, of pulverised asbestos, 14 of sifted mica, 20 of mineral caoutchouc, 10 of rubber solution, 3 of sulphur, and 1 of resin. The proportions may be varied as required. The mixture is hard, claimed to be almost incombustible, can be moulded and wrought, and for insulation and other purposes, it is proposed an a substitute for porcelain, marble, slate, and vulcanised substances. RAIN BELOW FREEZING POINT Rainfall occurring when the air temperature is below freezing point has been recorded 36 times at three Japenese observatories. The temperature has usually been not more than 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit below freezing, but in three cases it was more than 9 degrees below. The phenomenon is usually noticed early in the morning or at night. The usual explanation may be a temperature inversion, a layer of air a little above the surface being above freezing point; but it is believed that the condensation may occur sometimes in supersaturated ascending currents, in which, it is found, both snow crystals and raindrops are formed with the air temperature many degrees below freezing point. i FRUIT-EATING AND ACIDITY. Acids are the principal contribution that most fruits give to- trie human system— acids and sugar. The sugar is the only nutritive material, and this merely furnishes heat, not being a tissue builder. But the fruit acids are highly important, for they supply mineral materials and those other mysterious substances which, though not classifiable as foods, are neces-