50 Years ago

The Human Response to an Expanding Universe. By Harlow Shapley — [The author of this book] is a world-renowned figure in the fields of astronomy and cosmography... Dr. Shapley begins by attempting an obituary of the anthropocentric view that man is the centre of the cosmos, and continues by interpreting the consequences to man (or rather to certain aspects of rational thinking) of the latest scientific discoveries in the cosmos...

Dr. Shapley's displacement of human life from its once supreme position does not make him a pessimist, for he argues cogently that there must be at least a hundred million planets capable of supporting some form of life. Dr. Shapley concludes his book with what he calls “a Martian look” into the future. He dismisses the prospect of the Earth's collision with a star, or of wandering from its orbit and getting too near or too far away from the Sun. Nor does he envisage a biological calamity wiping out the whole human race. The real danger is man himself, who is busy perfecting the tools for performing an operation which is unlikely to be performed by natural forces.

From Nature 5 September 1959

100 Years ago

In February last Dr. N. Annandale obtained on the Orissa coast of India a number of small more or less nearly globular organisms in the tide-wash. When placed in water their shape changed from globular to conical, and indicated that they were evidently pelagic sea-anemones, although devoid of tentacles. The mouth is conspicuous, forming a relatively long, narrow slit expanded at one end, and the whole organism presents a milky appearance...As these actinians, which are apparently adult, although no gonads are visible, evidently indicate a new generic and specific type, Dr. Annandale has described them under the name Anactinia pelagica.

From Nature 2 September 1909