Ways of Creating Life.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 25 September 1914, Page 8

Ways of Creating Life.

According to Dr. Charlton Bastian, the creation of life from nonliving matter is an assured fact. "Living organisms can be obtained almost at will," says Dr. Bastian, in his work on "The Origin of Life," from solutions which have been heated in hermetically sealed vessels to a temperature very much higher than that which is known to be their thermal death point. This leaves no further room for doubt upon the much-disputed point whether or not non-living matter is still capable of coming into existence. Remarkable as it may seem, it does not require any large amount of scientific knowledge, or any costly laboratory equipment to create life artificially. According to Dr. Bastian the miracle can be performed with a little patience in your own home. Here is how it is done : ■ Add to one fluid ounce of distilled wafer eight drops of liquor ferri pernitratis and three drops of sodium silicate.

Place this mixture in a glass tube which has first been carefully sterilised to destroy all life and bring it to a boil. While steam is coining from the tube seal it hermetically with the aid of a blowpipe. This is done to prevent any. life germs entering from the atmosphere. All forms of life are supposed to be killed at the temperature of boiling water (212 degrees ' Fahrenheit), to make quite sure, however, the tubes may be inserted is an oil bath having a temperature of 266 degrees Fahrerheit, and kept there for fifteen or twentyminutes. The tube is then removed, put carefully away in diffuse daylight, and left there for several days. At the end of that time' the tube is broken, its contents poured on glass slides and examined microscopically. Living bacteria of various kinds may be seen in the liquid—multiplying, and, apparently, perfectly happy ! Life—even if it is a low form of life—has been created. In addition to the formula mentioned above, here is another which may be used in this experiment with equally satisfactory results : Sodium silicate, two or three drops; ammonium phosphate, four to six grains ; dilute phosphoric acid, four to six drops ; distilled water, one fluid ounce.