50 Years Ago

'Antibiotic activity of various types of cannabis resin' — The differences in chemical composition shown by various types of cannabis resin may be explained by the stage of development of a phytochemical process by which cannabidiolic acid is gradually converted to cannabidiol, tetrahydrocannabinols and finally to cannabinol ... referred to as 'ripening' of the resin ... According to the results obtained, antibiotic activity decreases together with the progress of phytochemical conversion of cannabinols, that is, together with the increase of hashish activity. Antibacterial agent (cannabidiolic acid) is by the ripening process obviously converted into hashish-active constituents (tetrahydrocannabinols). The antibiotically active unripe cannabis seems to be more common in regions having unfavourable climate, whereas tropical samples more often correspond to the ripe, hashish-active drug.

A. Radošević, M. Kupinić & Lj. Grlić

From Nature 8 September 1962

100 Years Ago

We are glad to see that progress is gradually being made with the synchronisation of clocks ... Last year a committee of the British Science Guild ... recommended that, as a beginning, it would probably be well to have a few large public clocks in London synchronised, and that these should be set apart and considered as “standard time clocks.” An electric clock which may be used for the purpose suggested by the committee has just been built by the Silent Electric Clock Co. ... We understand that this electric clock ... is also to be controlled by a master clock directly synchronised from Greenwich. The clock thus represents an up-to-date form of public timekeeper which is likely to be extensively adopted in the future.

From Nature 5 September 1912