LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 389, 25 June 1928, Page 13

LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS

f “THOUGHT FORMS” ON MARS GIANT CLOUD MIGHT BE SEEN ACROSS SPACE Interest is again focussed on the possibility (or otherwise) of communicating with Mars and other heavenly bodies by the statement cf the Bishop of Birmingham at Westminster Abbey that “it is almost inevitable that there are many other planets bearing life.” “Who knows.” asked Dr. Barnes, in his sermon, “but that, if we could analyse cosmic radiation by instruments of suitably delicate precision, we might find in it waves carrying messages across the depths of space —messages from beings to whom our wireless is a commonplace of an almost forgotten past?” Scientists begged to disagree when interviewed later on the possibility of friendly relations with the Martians and the Saturnians. All accepted the probability of life elsewhere than on the earth, but w ere sceptical of the possibility of actual proof. Sir Oliver Lodge said that perhaps we may never know. In any event, who would understand messages from another planet? But Sir Francis Younghusband, claiming it was plain logic that life existed elsewhere, agreed with Dr. Barnes that, there must be beings higher than ourselves because other planets had been in existence millions of years longer than the earth. How Martians See Professor A. M. Low is in favour of attempts being made to communicate with the Martians. “On the general question of other worlds,” he told an interviewer, “it seems to me that life exists, wherever you look, and we know that life exists which we cannot see. “Why should we be so extraordinarily conceited as to assume that life does not exist on other planets It might be life in an impalpable and incomprehensible form to us. “It may be that that life is so ahead of our own that it exists only in thought forms—life without physical existence. It is a possibility on Mars that people see by a form of X-rays, or what to us is heat.” “As inhabitants on other planets would be separated from us by billions of gene, ations,” continued Professor Low, “their lives are most likely in an incomprehensible form. “But that should not prevent us making a reasonably logical attempt to gain the eye of Mars. “Such might be a huge smoke cloud above the normal clouds—a cloud of, say, 20 miles, that might be visible to Martian eyes as a patch. Or an extraordinarily elaborate system of illumination might be tried. “We would at least learn something from the methods employed, even if the result was negative. Here, surely, is a golden opportunity for someone to start a Mars Society!” It may be recalled that in October, 1926, the London General Post Office accepted a message for transmission to Mars from the Rugby wireless station.