SCIENCE OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19910, 31 March 1928, Page 5 (Supplement)

SCIENCE OF THE DAY.

PHOTOS SENT BY TELEGRAPH. The resident' of Berlin who wishes to send a photo of himself to a relative or friend in Vienna can telegraph it if he desires, for the " Picture Telegraph " service between the German and Austrian capitals has been officially opened to the public. Not only can photos bo sent over llie wire, but any kind of message can be transmitted by the new method. For example, a Chinaman can hand into the telegraph office a letter written in Chinese characters and request that it' should be telegraphed to an address in Vienna. The original manuscript would be accepted by the post office officials, who would not try to count the words but charge the Bonder according to the space the message takes up, the price being two marks per centimetre, and the maximum space allowed being 19 by 10 centimetres. The original message is then taken to the dispatching room, placed in the " picture telegraph " machine, and within a few seconds is reproduced on a film in the receiving apparatus in the Vienna telegraph office. This film is developed in the usual way and the print is delivered to the addressee, just like an ordinary telegram, the difference being that the recipient sees the actual handwriting of his Chinese friend in Berlin.

HUMAN WIRELESS SETS, Abbe Moreux, one of the greatest Roman Catholic scientists in France, declares that radio-telegraphy and mental telepathy seem to be identical processes. " Scientists,'' he says, " think to-day that, the various waves in the atmosphere are of an electric nature, at their base, and that all atoms, including those forming our brains, emit waves similar to those sent out by radio stations, and that' they are capable of influencing appropriate receivers. According to our capacity we receive—generally without knowing it—an infinite number of radiations of all sorts that affect our brain-cells, and, by their intermediary, our intelligence and our nervous system; and in the same way solar activity acts not only on individuals but on all people at the same time. 1 showed as far back as 1910 that the great wars always followed large sunspots."

SEAWEED NOT A WEED. If " weed" is to continue as the name for a plant for which no use has been discovered, then seaweed will have to change its name. After prolonged search, a process has been found in which seaweed is utilised in the production of algiu and alginates. Algin is a substance similar to starch and gum arabic in its properties, but in many respects superior to either. With a viscosity fourteen times that of starch and thirty-seven times that of gum arabic, it is of greater advantage than staren in sizing and finishing'fabrics, for it fills the cloth better, is tougher and more elastic, transparent when dry, and is not acted upon by acids. Algin, it is expected, will be used in dyeing and colour printing and 111 sizing and coating of paper. " Seaweed, too, has for some time been known as a source of iodine. LIGHTHOUSE WITH NO KEEPER. Lighthouses controlled entirely by mechanical means will soon be in operation around the English coast. No keeper will need to keep strict watch lest the lamp go out. Everything will be done by the " Robot " lighthouse. England's first coast lighthouse to be completely turned into a " Robot" is the one at Burnham-on-Sea. Others which Will soon be mechanised are tlio Penden, the Lizard, the South Foreland, Hart-land, and Skerries. The system bv which the light is controlled has been brought out by the General Electric Company. It consists of electric mechanism which not only looks after the working of the lights but is equipped to deal with emergencies. The electric lamps are the largest ever made. They are approximately two hundred times more powerful than the ordinary house electric lamps. There are two of these giant electric lamps in the lighthouse. If one fails it is automatically replaced by the second lamp. If bqth lamps should give out, or the current fail, an acetylene burner is automatically lighted and swung into position.