ORIGIN OF THE EARTH.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1966, 29 December 1906, Page 1

ORIGIN OF THE EARTH.

Prolessor Bn.vd Dawson gate a lecture recently on ”Tlm Origin of the Earth,” In the'course of it be said 11 lew words about radium as the possible source of the earth’s heat, lie pointed .out that the amount of radium which had been experimented on up to the present was infinitely small —he (ltd not suppose it was anything like an ounce in weight. He did not think we were yet in a position to an ivo at a clear and definite opinon as to the exact bearing of the discovery on the general theory of the origin of the earth. One .set. of discoverers considered that the earth’s heat was due to radium; on the other Imin!. .Lord Kelvin, the veteran physicist, pointed out—and he did not thinlc there was aiiv answer to if that it could hardly he so, became according to Professor Rutherford,’ who |,au a great dead to do with the discovery, the average life of radium was only 1800 years. Eighteen hundred years was nothing at all in the remote history of the earth. He was far from saving that radium had not contributed to the existing boat 'of die earth, but until we knew what

Hie original source of radium was wo could not consider that radium was really one of the most important fac(oi'.s, and that it affected the general question which the .physicists, to Ids mind, answered long ago as to the origin of the heat of the earth. The storv ol the orign of the earth was really a part of the greater story of

the origin of the planets, and the condition of the earth ns we now found it could only be explained bv •some such hypothesis as the nebular hypothesis. The earth was growing colder, end there could be no doubt that' if it, lived long enough to grow sufficiently cold all life on if would bo absolutely destroyed. But age after age the various orbs were gradual!'.' creeping near the sun. and the sun. the great f-iH'.'r of the planetary system, might be said to ho swallowing up its children.