Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Cosmic Rays and the Origin of Species

Nature volume 137, pages 358–359 (1936)Cite this article

Abstract

UNDER the above title, Dr. Hamshaw Thomas in a recent paper1 has put forward the suggestion that the large variety of species and high percentage of endemics often found at high altitudes might be due to mutants which have been produced by irradiation with cosmic rays, the intensity of which is known to be much higher at great altitudes than at sea-level.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. NATURE, 137, 51 (1936).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Citations in: Muller 1928, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 14 (1930): Amer. Nat., 64; Muller 1934, Science of Radiology, Springfield. Timoféeff-Ressovsky 1934, Biol. Reviews, 9. Timoféeff-Ressovsky, Zimmer u. Delbrück 1935, Nachr. d. Ges. d. Wise. Göttingen, Fachgr 6, N.F. Bd. 1, Nr. 13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Muller and Mott-Smith, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 16 (1930); Timoféeff-Ressovsky, Erg. med. Strahlenforsch., 5 (1931); Efroimson, Biol. Zentrbl., 51 (1931).

  4. Muller 1928, l.c.; 1930, l.c.; Timoféeff-Ressovsky 1934, l.c.

  5. Timoféeff-Ressovsky, Zimmer u. Delbrück, 1935, l.c.

  6. Timoféeff-Ressovsky, Roux's Arch. Entwmech., 109 (1927); Der Erbarzt, 2 (1935); Tschetverikov, Verb. 5. Intern. Kongr. Vererb., Bd. 2 (1928); Dubinin and collaborators, Biol. Zurn, v. 3 (Russian) 1934; Gershenson, Amer. Nat., 68 (1934); Gordon, Amer. Nat., 69 (1935).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physikalisch-radioaktive Abteilung, Kaiser Wilhelm-Institut für Chemie, Berlin-Dahlem

    M. DELBRÜCK

  2. Genetische Abteilung, Kaiser Wilhelm-Institut für Hirnforschung, Berlin-Buch

    N. W. TIMOFÉEFF-RESSOVSKY

Authors
  1. M. DELBRÜCK
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. N. W. TIMOFÉEFF-RESSOVSKY
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

DELBRÜCK, M., TIMOFÉEFF-RESSOVSKY, N. Cosmic Rays and the Origin of Species. Nature 137, 358–359 (1936). https://doi.org/10.1038/137358b0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/137358b0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing