SCIENCE NOTES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6678, 28 November 1908, Page 3

SCIENCE NOTES.

SUBSTITUTE FOR COAL. According to the Washington BureauManufactures, an invention has been made by a native of Galicia, whereby the demand for coal for domestic purposes will bo greatly diminished. The ‘inventor, -an engineer, lias mad© a comfhination of crude petroleum, binders,; and sand into bricks, or briquettes, which may bo used ns fuel by any household in place of coal. A hundredkilos (220.4Hb) will, it is said, cost only 'k. A society lias been formed for tho purpose of manufacturing these bricks Viih a capital of £-10,000, and a factory’ ,is to bo placed in operation at Florisdori. TURF AS A FILTER. Recent experiments in France have tihowa that natural turf is an excellent material froin which to form beds for the filtering of wjwago, A volume of between three and four cubic metres of f €ew-ago can be x> Ul ihed every day for ievery square metro of tho surface of [the turf. An experimental turf filter xhat has been in use more than seven ’months shows no diminution of effici-, ency. If a larger proportion of sewage than that mentioned is employed the ’.filter proves less effective, but it recovers its power when the amount or ’sewage is reduced to the proper pro-, Iportion. Chemical analysis and tho. effects upon flidi put into tho filtered Vater unite in testifying to the efficiency bt the process. .GREAT SALT LAKE WATER. Everybody knows that tho water of the Great Salt Lake is very dense as well as very salt, but many will bo surprised to learn that its density varies to a remarkable degree from time to Time. For instance, in 1835 tho density was 1.1225, and the percentage by weight of solid constituents was 1G.71G; in 1903 the density had in-cre!ajsod toi 1.2206, the greatest ever recorded, and the percentage of solids to 27.721; in 1907 the density had diminished to 1.1810, and the percentage <rf solids to 22.920. Of ’the solids in 1907, 12.67 per cent, was chlorin. 7.58 per cent, soddum, 1.53 per cent, sulphate radical, 0.72 per cent, potassium, 0.45 per cent, magnesium, and 0.04 per cent, calcium. GROWTH WITHOUT LIFE. At the British Association meeting Dr Dawson Turner discussed growth due to osmosis, or growth without life. He exhibited a specimen and photographs ,of the curious growths which Professor Leduc had produced by the purely physical process of osmosis, and explained' that an artificial seed of ono part of sugar and of two parts of copper sulphate was sown in a solution of gela-> tine and potassium ferro-cyanlde. Thisi seed began to grow as though it were, alive; it might attain a height of one-' to two feet; and it presented orgacs analogous to those of vegetables, such, as roots, stems, leaves, and terminal' organs. Functions which had hitherto, been considered as characteristic of life, such as nutrition by intus-eusceptlon. organisation, growth in thickness and in length, were thus realised by purely physical forces; and physiologists were therefore led to conjecture whether those functions in living plants and animals might not bo duo to the same cause. THE LIFE OF TREES. Trees, like animals, eat, sleep, grow, and die. Everyone knows this, yet not everyone is aware that a cloudy sky makes tho trees drowsy. Rain ■ puts them 'to sleep.. So the only days of (prosperity and tree activity are the clear days. In sleep the leaves of many trees fold together and droop. The closing of the leaves checks the cooling process of evaporation and maintains bodily heat. All young and tender foliage I lends thus to curl up to sleep when tho weather is bad or night is in tho sky. Older and stiffer leaves go to sleep sitting up. The breathing of the tree is as necessary as is the breathing of animals. All life consists of a continuous building up and tearing down of cells. The material for building new cells is made of food taken in and elaborated by intricate chemical processes. The oxygen in the air is one iof the chemical ingredients both in destroying and building tho cells of animals find trees. The leaves are tho lungs, which inhale carbon dioxide and exiialo ipure oxygen—human beings inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. That is why trees are &o nseful to us. '■BALLOON SICKNESS." • At a recent meeting of tho French .Biological Society, MM. Grouzon and .Soubies gave an account of some experiments on balloon-sickness which •they had carried out. They made a ■balloon ascent -with the object of testing the relative value of inhalation of pure oxygen and AgazotfcFs mixture fqt aeronauts, which consists of 87 per cent, pxygon rand 13 per dent, carbon dioxide. Ono observer experienced symptoms of sickness at a height of 13,282 ft, indicated by a pain at the back of the head, -and in the nape of the neck, followed by venous congestion of the face, drowsiness, and mist before the ©yes when looking earthwards, and a heavy feeling in the eyelids. At 14,764 ft the breathing Became panting, and on attempting to sit down the observer fell to the bottom pf the car. At a height of 15,748 ft to 16,401 ft the observer was overcome with drowsiness, and did not reply to questions, which symptoms were rapidly •removed by the inhalation of gas, but they returned .after a short interval. The symptoms were removed equally well by means of AgazotfcFs mixture. At a height of 14,922 ft the latter Removed the respiratory distress'in about tea seconds; but -at a height of 16,000 ft it was found that oxygen alone was of ■any use. THE STRANGER IN THE NORTHERN SKY. With the exception of the comet known as Comet Daniel, which passed perihelion in September of last year, no comet has appeared for a consider-' able time past which either gave promise of becoming m any way specially noteworthy or fulfilled any indication it did give. It deems, however, probable •enough that the comet discovered - on September Ist by Professor Morehouse, of Drake University, lowa, may become a fairly conspicuous object. It, may Become as bright as Comet Daniel, or perhaps .brighter, but during the earlier part of its' course at least it will be much better placed for general observation. A day or two -after its discovery it was estimated as of the ninth magnitude and it is rapidly brightening, so that it should shortly become visible to the naked ©ye. At time of discovery it was found to have rather a long tail, and since then it has been observed that tho tail and coma have exhibited a degree of active change unusual in a telescopic comet. As according to the elements of the orbit which have been computed it does not pass perihelion . till December 24th, it has plenty of time yet to develop. It is at present approaching the earth, and it will continue to do so for some time yet. When discovered ft was in Camelopardalis, about 20 degrees from the Pole Star, near the border of Cassiopeia. Having crossed the north-western corner of that constellation, it is now within Cepheus to the north of Beta Cephei. The comet is therefore circumpolar just now, and so above the horizon all night, and it will continue to bo so throughout October. Thereafter it will pass towards Cyngus and Lyra. As tho third comet, discovered in’ the current* year, its technical designations at present is Comet C, 1908.—“ Glasgow Herald/'