Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

"WHY THE EARTH IS HABITABLE."

LECTURE BY PROFESSOR MARSHALL. The lecture delivered by Professor P. Marshall before the University Debating Club on the 3rd inst. was well attended. The subject of the lecture was " Why the Earth is Habitable," and it was treated in a humorous -and at the same time interesting manner Professor Marshall said he wanted to consider the physical reasons tnat enabled the earth to be inhabited. We required narrow limits of physical conditions in order to support Jife, and in the first place, as everybody was aware, we required certain limits as to temperature. We must be supplied witb air that did not exist throughout a very great portion of the univeise. Then we must be supplied with food and with water, and everybody was satisfied that alcohol would not take the place of the latter satisfactorily In order to consider the subject of tamperature they must lake ordinary examples, such as the conditions that existed in the moon. The day there was as long as 14 days on our earth, and the temperature probably went up to 500deg., and it was not only that the moon was subjected to a high temperature during the day, but it fell to a correspondingly low degree at nifiht. It was, therefore, obvious that man could not exist there. Take the sun. Everybody knew that i.he temperature conditions made it altogether impossible for even a disembodied spirit to remain there Take the temperature in space. Throughout these immense areas the temperature was enormously 'below any temperature the human body could withstand. The temperature of the earth was remarkable, and its surface was the only one they knew of that came within the narrow limits that rendered human life possible. The temperature of Mercury would be very unpleasant. He next referred to Mars, which was the only other body we knew of upon which human life was possible, but the earth was the only one upon which human life was satisfactory. The-BaHh possessed sources of heat within itself, so that we did not rely entirely upon outside bodies for the heat with which the earth was blessed. We derived a considerable degree of it from its interior. Professor Marshall next proceeded to deal with the cooling of the earth's surface, and said geologists calculated that it had been cooling for 1000,000,000 years. Then the fact that we had atmosphere round the earth was a rather extraordinary thing. The moon had none, and it was obvious there was no atmosphere round the sun. Then there was no air whatever throughout the great aiea of space. So far as we knew the earth and Mars were the only places where the atmosphere was suitable for the support of human life. Plant life was dependent on carbonic acid gas. and we were* dependent on plant life. The presence of water on the earth was entirely necessary for the maintenance of human life, and there was nothing he knew of that would replace water. You could dilute it with alcohol, but fche result was ' not always satisfactory. — (Lauprhter.) Then there - was the presence of light, which was absolutely essential to us. Light was necessary for the growth of vepretation, and that was absolutely necessary "for the food which animals required. Light, upon Mercury was nine time 3as «trong as litrht upon the earth, and he doubted whether the human eye could, for any lenerth of time, susTiiill .in Illumination such as that. TApht on the earth was most exceptional if the universe were taken as a whole. Professor Marshall then proceeded to mention chemical la\ss and chemical chances which were essential for good conditions, and nf-xi referred to the food supply on the earth A certain a mount of food and a certain chnractcr of food was necessary for human life to exist to nny satisfactory extent, upon the earth. Tho3e foods were organic in their nature, and that implied a certain relation between the animal and vegetable kingdom, ■which showed there musi be a certain relation hotween animals and plants that must lip of a. very delicate balance -.id»<»d. Then there was the matter of the seasons. On ill" earth there were certain seasons, if-ular in then' succp^ion of rotation, and lhes» had an eiToct upon the production of the food supply. For.ur.afelv. the rotation of the oartli was such as to make the seasons resru'.ar. and make (ho phenomena of life, so imifli easier than thfv otherwise would Y>p. The condition^ upon the surface of the earth had not aJu-avs bf-r>n the same, and had not always been satisfactory for the existence of human life. Think what the atmosphere must h.ive bepn. It must have been charged with carbonic arid ms, which would be fa+aJ to Immnn life Thn conclusion was come to that the earth liarl not been habitable for such a preat lentrth of time, and we were tempted to mi' he use of this and ask, "Is the earth coins? to remain habitable for any preat length of +ime?" It was not likely to affect us, and we did not rr. ; e»l how it was poing to affect our descendants a few million fenerations later. Whether the earth was hahitable in the pa«t, or was Roing to be habitable in the future, they must see

that it was only under the most excepional conditions that human life was possible upon any one portion of the universe. Professor Marshall was loudly applauded at the conclusion of his lecture, and was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19090908.2.206

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 33

Word count
Tapeke kupu
926

"WHY THE EARTH IS HABITABLE." Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 33

"WHY THE EARTH IS HABITABLE." Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 33

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert