318 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1958 
To many scientists this picture seems now acceptable. Many details 
are still unknown or questionable and will have to be evaluated in 
close collaboration between astronomers, nuclear physicists, and geo- 
chemists. In this connection the abundances of the elements lithium, 
beryllium, and boron may become particularly interesting, because 
these elements can only form under very special conditions. They are 
easily destroyed at high stellar temperatures. 
Our picture of the origin of the elements cannot be correlated in 
its present stage with the fundamental question whether the universe 
as a whole is eternal or has been created at a defined time. The 
present attempts by F. Hoyle and others to recognize nuclear genesis 
as part of a consistent cosmological model are not quite convincing. 
We can expect fascinating developments of our knowledge in these 
fields of science. 
Reprints of the various articles in this Report may be obtained, as long as 
the supply lasts, on request addressed to the Editorial and Publications 
Division, Smithsonian Institution, Washington 25, D.C. 
