42 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LII. No. 1332 



Henry Meier, Centre College. In the first place, 

 the probable low temperature, rarified atmosphere 

 and albsence of water are against the existence on 

 the planet of beings endowed similarly to us. 

 Ability to signal by light is negatived by the fact 

 that the earth's atmosphere would absorb about 

 40 per cent, of the light sent out, and by the great 

 distance. The author estimates that an area of 

 light 10 miles square, on the earth, if seen from 

 Mars through a telescope magnifying 500 times, 

 woiild appear like an area 1 inch square, viewed at 

 a distance of 500 feet. The possibility of signal- 

 ing by radio is negatived by the distance, it being 

 computed that it would require a current of a 

 mOlion amperes at the sending station in order 

 to obtain one of one ampere at a receiving station 

 on Mars, when the planet is nearest the earth. 

 Besides, the powerful currents radiated from the 

 sun would probably overwhelm the weak waves 

 from the earth. 



The future of nutrition and medicine : Db. A. W. 

 HoMBERGER, University of Louisville. The paper 

 brought out the close relation between diets in 

 health and disease. It laid emphasis upon the 

 benefits derived from urine and blood analyses. 

 Urine analysis is not new and yet, with the mod- 

 ern methods of blood analysis, it becomes a new 

 and valuable aid in treating diseases. The direct 

 relations were illustrated by the conditions found 

 in the body under diabetic conditions. Tables 

 showing analyses representing the work of some 

 80 men on blood and urine were presented — also a 

 classified schedule of dietaries the object of each 

 group being to throw together foods particularly 

 adapted to the diseases involved. The author pre- 

 dicts that in the future there will be a closer scien- 

 tific relation between the nutrition of the sick and 

 medicine than there has been in the past. 



Asphalt coal: W. E. Jillson, state geologist. 

 By title. 



Note on the occurrence of cretaceous sediment in' 

 the "between the rivers" section in Trigg and 

 Lyon counties: W. E. Jillson, state geologist. By 

 title. 



Some observations on the life-history of the 

 praying mantis: Miss Maby Didlake, Kentucky 

 Experiment Station. Two species, the common 

 Stagmomantis Carolina and a big Chinese one, 

 Tenodera sinensis, were carried through several 

 generations in as many successive years, reared in 

 the laboratory, individuals being kept separate, 

 at first in homeopathic vials, then in 4-ounce, wide- 

 mouthed bottles and finally in 6-inch stender dishes. 



Hatching, molting, regeneration of limbs and an- 

 tennte, mating, egg-laying, all were frequently ob- 

 served and recorded. It was found possible to 

 distinguish the sexes after the first molt and with 

 certainty after the second. The native species re- 

 quired about 80 days to become adult, males com- 

 monly molting only 6 times and females usually 7 

 times. The Chinese species averaged 78 days to 

 adult emergence and both sexes molted 7 times, a 

 few individuals requiring 8 molts. 



Materia prima: Eev. E. L. van Becelaeke, Car- 

 dome. The medieval conception of the "Materia 

 Prima" may appear thoroughly superseded by the 

 discoveries of modern chemistry; however, such a 

 conception, if properly understood, finds a confir- 

 mation in them rather than a disproof. The pos- 

 session of a similar order of fundamental proper- 

 ties by each one of the elements recognized by 

 modern chemistry, in spite of the differentiations 

 peculiar to each of them, reveals one substratum 

 common to all, although diversified in each one. 

 That substnatimi is the "Materia Prima" acces- 

 sible only to the mind, yet real and existing in 

 each of the elements. 



Some interesting fungi of the KentucTcy Moun- 

 tains. The lichens of Cowbell Hollow: G-. D. 

 Smith, Eastern Kentucky State Normal School. 

 Nearly 100 excellent lantern slides in natural colors, 

 prepared by the author, were exhibited and ex- 

 plained, illustrating fungi and Uchens observed. 



The value of memory systems: J. J. Tigeet, 

 University of Kentucky. An experiment is de- 

 scribed with a class of 45 students in psychology. 

 The test consisted in having the class memorize 

 an extract from Keats, before studying the mem- 

 ory system, reproducing the words and ideas after 

 three minutes and repeating the same process with 

 a similar extract after studying the system. The 

 result was negative. 



A Uttle-Tcnown subterranean crayfish: H. Cab- 

 man, Kentucky Experiment Station. The under- 

 ground streams of Kentucky are inhabited by aa 

 interesting crayfish with small eyes that lives and 

 breeds at aU times in these subterranean waters, 

 only appearing in any numbers at the surface dur- 

 ing freshets and retreating again from the light 

 when it has an opportunity. It appears to be the 

 eyed crayfish of early explorers of Kentucky oaves, 

 who assumed that it was merely a stray from 

 among ordinary eyed crayfish of surface waters 

 and regarded as identical with the widely distrib- 

 uted Cambarus bartoni. Somewhat recently it haa 

 been described as a variety of this surface-water 



