Abstract: Little known metals with valuable applications are discussed Titanium being much lighter than steel has important military applications vitalium an alloy of cobalt chromium and molybdenum is used to join and strengthen bones tantalum is used in skull plates mercury has many applications including lipsticks television vacuum tubes antiseptics insecticides and photographic developing selenium is used in light meters and to conduct electricity cerium emits sparks and is used in cigarette lighters germanium is used to make transistors which can replace vacuum tubes in the telephone radio and television industries
Date Published: 1952-04-28
Abstract: Beginning with a summary of the previous three programs filmed in Britain this episode of the Johns Hopkins Science Review continues the discussion of recent scientific research in Britain Highlights are research into the common cold and crystals and developments in laundry washing and time lapse photography
Date Published: 1952-06-02
Abstract: This program takes place during the meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society in Washington DC where new developments in Xray technology are exhibited After Lynn Poole explains xrays discovery by William Roentgen 1895 their definition and their use Dr Russell Morgan interviews three scientists from the conference Dr ES Gurdjian a Wayne State University radiologist describes types of automobile accidents and shows how xrays can demonstrate the severity of skull fractures at different speeds Dr Wallace Tirman of Caylor Nichol Institute in Bluffton Indiana demonstrates a technique for using finegrain film to make xrays viewable under a microscope These microradiographs show thin slices of body tissue for analysis on a diffraction xray unit Dr Jeffrey P Moore of Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia shows that inserting a needle into a patients back and injecting an opaque material is a more direct method for xraying the spinal column to diagnose cartilage problems
Date Published: 1951-09-25
Abstract: Dr Abel Wolman describes the purpose of a university as a place to search for truth without interference When research is in its initial stages the information generated does not appear to have any useful application By using case studies the show demonstrates that basic research can have profound implications Dr Wolman provides some examples of how seemingly insignificant research can lead to important discoveries Josiah Willard Gibbs professor of theoretical physics Henry A Rowland builder of the engine for ruling diffraction gratings and Ira Remsen developer of saccharine Next Dr Francis Schwenkter describes recent medical inventions instruments and investigations that revolutionized the world the circulation of spinal fluid the properties of folic acid and the treatment of blue babies cancer and rickets
Date Published: 1952-02-18
Abstract: Archeologists use available clues to reconstruct ancient civilizations in Marajó Island in the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil Potsherds found in 91 sites led to a reconstruction of the civilization through stratigraphy and seriation
Date Published: 1952-04-14
Abstract: The program begins with the presentation of the 1951 Television Award from the National Association for Better Radio and Television to the Johns Hopkins Science Review as the best educational program on television in 1951 The study of old bones can indicate the gender height race age at death and the cause of death of the individual Examination of bones can also assist in crime detection and identifying missing persons
Date Published: 1952-03-17
Abstract: Due to studio difficulties there is no sound track on this program for the first few minutes Dr Schwartz displays some of the creatures brought from Cooks Pond near Blairstown NJ a painted turtle a bullfrog a tree frog and an aquarium of pond water with a variety of fish insects plants and tadpoles all part of the web of life He then describes smaller pond organisms hydra damsel fly nymph and planaria that he shows viewers under a television microscope he developed
Date Published: 1954-08-19
Abstract: In this unhosted program a film by the British Information Service traces the remains of graves temples houses tools and other possessions of prehistoric civilizations in the United Kingdom During the Old Stone Age men hunted wild animals with crudely made tools and lived in caves When the ice receded in the New Stone Age the environment and geography of Great Britain was much changed and men became farmers Archaeologists interpret this history based on findings at such sites as the Windmill Hill settlement in the U K which has yielded the earliest examples of British pottery Scenes from Skara Brae in the Orkney Islands show the extensive remains of this prehistoric village preserved by blowing sand dunes And Belas Knap burial mound near Cheltenham reveals the stone chambers and tombs of that period This twopart program concludes with the Bronze Age when men learned to produce metals and create more uniform tools such as a cast ax head
Date Published: 1954-07-15
Abstract: Dr Lee explains the research being carried out by the US Dept of Agricultures Dairy Husbandry Research Branch on milk production in tropical climates He says that of the two major milk cow groups the European cattle offer high milk production but low resistance to a hot environment and the native Indian humped cattle are the opposite In addition to breeding the most heat resistant European cows and selecting the native cattle with the highest milk production for breeding the Dept of Agriculture is cross breeding Jersey cows and Sindhi cows The research results seem to show that a cow that is 58 native Sindhi has the best combination of heat tolerance and milk production In a film of the heat room Mr McDowell explains experiments which measure the cows sweat and their respiratory cooling He also notes that the color and thickness of a cows coat and its blood flow to the skin are possible determinants in heat adaptation
Date Published: 1954-09-05
Abstract: Lynn Poole points out that science is often used in crime detection as when Johns Hopkins physicist Robert W Wood used ultra violet light to help police solve such crimes as the candy box murder Lieutenant Nelligan Director of the Baltimore City Crime Lab says that a criminalist or scientific crime detective requires a background in both science and police techniques A dramatization follows the investigation of a fictitious crime a burglary in a suburban house to demonstrate the basic tools used to solve the crime a microscope to match hairs and fibers a spectrograph to analyze metals and glass a vacuum cleaner to pick up evidence in a special filter and a magnifying glass to enlarge details The density gradient test is also demonstrated and explained The cast for the scene is from Baltimores Hilltop Theater Caddell Burroughs Elaine Swann Earl Simmons John Holland Alex Quiroga and Buff Shurr
Date Published: 1954-09-12
Abstract: Lynn Poole recalls his first experience seeing an airplane He then diagrams and explains jet propulsion based on Newtons Third Law of Motion A film by the British Information Service details the development of the jet propulsion gas turbine by its creators Sir Frank Whittle and Captain Patrick Johnson from its patent to its use in the air and sea US General HH Arnold arranged for the Whittle engine to be manufactured in the United States A second film shows the July 15 1954 maiden flight of the Boeing 707 StratotankerStratoliner Americas first jet transport In conclusion Lynn Poole points out an article about The Johns Hopkins Science Review in the August 17 1954 issue of the Saturday Evening Post
Date Published: 1954-08-12
Abstract: Dr Witt defines water surface tension and shows examples of wetted water His daughter Marilyn performs an experiment floating a steel needle on water until an additional drop of water breaks the surface tension and sinks the needle Dr Witt demonstrates how the surface of a glass plate treated with a wetting agent stays clear and unfogged as the water spreads into a thin film unlike the untreated surface on which droplets formed spheres that cloud the glass This technology is used on skin diving masks and windshields of airplanes and cars Dr Witt compares wetted water and regular water in laundry uses Wetting agents also allow mixing of oil with water to make stable emulsions for such products as agricultural sprays paints and dyes cosmetics and floor waxes In addition to synthetic wetting agents there are also natural ones such as egg yolks Dr Witt shows how a warm carbonated beverage as an unburnable emulsion can be used as a fire extinguisher to put out small fires
Date Published: 1955-01-09
Abstract: A film shows scenes of water recreation and sporting activities such as fishing boating walking in waterfront parks and swimming The film notes that infections and drowning are the primary dangers of swimming and that with the growth of safe pool facilities with lifeguards swimmers can learn proper swimming techniques Lynn Poole pays tribute to the YMCA pioneers in teaching swimming and water safety Lou Martin Baltimore YMCAs aquatic director explains and demonstrates the HolgerNielsen arm lift back pressure manual method of artificial respiration The equipment used in the mechanical method is then demonstrated by Martin McMann of the Baltimore City police
Date Published: 1954-07-08
Abstract: Dr Schwentker says that prematurity is generally defined as a birth weight of less than 55 pounds however immaturity of a babys organs is more significant than prematurity A film documents the public procedures in place for rescuing a baby born prematurely at home Dr Gordon shows what staff do when a baby is admitted to the premature nursery suction airways supply oxygen transfer to incubators with lesser oxygen concentration administer moist heat and monitor for infections Nurse Abernathy discusses maintaining a constant temperature for the infant and feeding premature babies by polyethylene tube gavage or medicine dropper until bottle feeding is possible A film shows the progress of a premature infant over a few weeks Dr Gordon raises the question of the cost justifying the results of caring for premature babies and concludes that both longterm development research and actual evidence such as his teenage son and other thriving children born as small as two pounds prove the worth
Date Published: 1954-01-27
Abstract: This program opens with a visual of the sound waves of Lynn Pooles voice as they appear on an oscilloscope A brief film shows some of the glass tools that are basic to scientific research Frank Witt a Johns Hopkins University graduate student in electrical engineering then explains the design and function of a cathode ray oscilloscope He shows how to solve a simple electrical problem using this oscilloscope and comments that its applications make it one of sciences most versatile tools Chemistry graduate student Bernard Blaustein discusses the process history applications and importance of distillation He also explains equipment used to separate liquid from a dye using distillation After a brief film on the history of microscopes Dr Dethier explains the parts of a microscope and their functions He then offers a microscopic view of both a butterflys wing and a snow flea At the conclusion of the show Lynn Poole asks viewers to send him what they consider to be the greatest achievement in science in 1953
Date Published: 1953-12-02
