Seven years old

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At the beginning of this last episode of the Johns Hopkins Science Review, John H. Fisher, superintendent of public instruction for Baltimore City, presents Lynn Poole with a citation from the National Citizens' Committee on Educational Television. Mr. Poole points out that in 1948, when this series began, there were only 22 television stations and 250,000 receiving sets nationwide. Now, in 1955, there are 423 stations and 36 million television sets. He spends the remainder of the program thanking the people who made it possible: the scientists from Johns Hopkins and other institutions who took a chance on being on television and who revealed their new discoveries, such as Dr. Arthur Parpart's vidicon camera; the teachers who included in their lesson plans the show's demonstrations of complex subjects, such as an atomic chain reaction represented by 100 mousetraps; industry, one of which credited the show with duct system design inspiration; foreign countries, such as England, France, and Canada, where many new scientific developments are taking place.

Last one in

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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 YMCA's aquatic director, explains and demonstrates the Holger-Nielsen (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.

Science, the super sleuth

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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 Baltimore's Hilltop Theater: Caddell Burroughs, Elaine Swann, Earl Simmons, John Holland, Alex Quiroga, and Buff Shurr.

Farm to you

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Dr. Lee explains the research being carried out by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's 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 5/8 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 cow's coat and its blood flow to the skin are possible determinants in heat adaptation.

Life in your own yard

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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 Cook's 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.

The wonder jet

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Lynn Poole recalls his first experience seeing an airplane. He then diagrams and explains jet propulsion, based on Newton's 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. U.S. General H.H. 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 Stratotanker/Stratoliner, America's 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.

Questions of science

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Lynn Poole shows photos and demonstrations from past programs and poses questions for viewers on the topics of skin grafting, atoms, electroencephalography, x-rays, and diffraction grating. Afterwards he gives the answers with explanations. Next a series of six simple experiments are performed, questions are asked about each, and answers are given afterwards. The experiments' concepts include molecular model identification, cold steam power, surface tension disruption, carbon dioxide production, and interaction of acetone with acetate rayon.

The skin you're in

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Dr. Sullivan explains that dermatology is the science of skin and its diseases. Skin, covering approximately 18 square feet, is a human's largest organ and serves as the body's protection. Using both live animals from the Baltimore Zoo and representations of animals, Dr. Sullivan explains their protective mechanisms: the lizard's skin changes color for camouflage; the duck's preen gland maintains its feathers with a precursor of vitamin D; the rat's sebaceous glands repel lice; the lion's mane protects it from other animals' bites; and a turtle's shell, a porcupine's quills, and a pachyderm's thick skin all protect the animal within. Dr. Sullivan draws a diagram of the layers of human skin, stressing the epidermis and protective barrier that prevents water from penetrating skin. He notes that a frog has no transitional layer, so its skin can take up water. The human sweat glands continuously secrete a wet film on the skin. The sebaceous glands secrete sebum, which contains two emulsifiers that allow the skin to sweat.

Corralling the Colorado

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Lynn Poole announces that the current issue of TV Stage has an article about "The Johns Hopkins Science Review." A film by the U.S. Dept. of Interior then shows the historical use of the Colorado River. In the late 1800s, Thomas Blythe acquired 40,000 acres in Palo Verde Valley, California and filed the first water rights to the river. In 1867 Jack Swilling built the first irrigation canals in Arizona. By diverting water from the river to land, the southwest began to thrive. However, floods, such as the one that created Salton Sea in 1905, alternating with droughts required a plan to stabilize the flow of the Colorado. Arthur Powell Davis, Director of the U. S. Reclamation Service, proposed a dam, and the Boulder Canyon Project Act was passed in 1928. In 1931 dam construction was begun in Black Canyon, and Hoover Dam (called Boulder Dam from 1933-1946) was completed in 1936, two years ahead of schedule. The resulting Lake Mead, named in honor of U. S. Reclamation Commissioner Dr. Elwood Mead, extends over 100 miles upstream, can hold 2 years of flow from the Colorado River, and has become a very popular recreation area for water sports.

Basic tools of science

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This program opens with a visual of the sound waves of Lynn Poole's 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 science's 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 butterfly's 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.