THE SCIENCE REPORT

[Music] the story of science changing man's way of life in our time as people throughout the world rely increasingly on motor vehicles for transportation one result has been traffic congestion in large cities but there's a far more serious result personal injury property loss and death from traffic accidents most drivers get where they are going each day but some do not in the united states alone nearly 40 000 persons a year die in auto accidents in slow motion we see why highway safety has become important in highway motorized nations now science is helping to reduce the incidence of accidents and injuries on streets and roadways programs of controlled car collision studies are being conducted using instrumented human dummies these scientifically staged crashes have led to material and design changes to strengthen the car body and to lessen the chance of injury to car occupants these changes include seat belts which can reduce the risk of injury by 35 safer brakes recessed steering wheels door locks which stay closed in crashes padded non-glare instrument panels safety glass and padded sun visors electronically controlled tire testing has become a vital first step in tire building aided by new instrumentation tire engineers are now able to obtain data impossible to get under road conditions resulting in tires which the manufacturers can guarantee not to blow out or even puncture new guard rails are being designed to prevent cars from leaving a lane and to reduce speed gradually investigation of guardrails has shown that most are of psychological benefit rather than actual barriers to cars out of control [Music] this road tester finds out which paving material best meets the demands of today's traffic pounding with a force of 1000 trucks an hour the tester tells in one week our paving material will stand up under a year of normal traffic core testing also helps to determine the performance potential of new road surfaces allowing for the construction of economical highways free from accident causing holes and ruts other highway safety research is concerned with luminescent paint to mark traffic lanes and with the handling properties of autos many accidents are caused not by equipment but by drivers one device for testing driver reactions and judgment flashes surprise road situations on a film screen the lady is a bit embarrassed that she ran over the box in one simulated situation unexpected occurrences do not really happen this frequently but when they do happen driver reaction is vital a major cause of crashes is skidding a massachusetts insurance company employs a staff of traffic safety engineers to conduct a skidding school here drivers learn correct responses under actual conditions in emergencies tests prove that drivers responses must be automatic there is no time to reflect on how to react all traffic accidents could be avoided of course if everyone stopped driving the trend however is toward greater numbers of motor vehicles unfortunately the trend is also toward more highway mishaps throughout the world so scientists and educators must continue to seek greater safety for a world on wheels [Music] to a passerby this artificial body of water near berkeley california resembles a community swimming pool [Music] [Applause] it is not a swimming pool it is a shallow outdoor pond on a campus of the university of california this pond may one day be known as the world's most important body of water occupying less than an acre [Music] it may well mark the start of a new kind of agriculture and agriculture especially promising for countries that lack rich soil and abundant water the pond is full of raw sewage and wastes piped in from a small city nearby [Music] [Applause] this is what normally happens in sewage water first the natural bacteria attack and decompose every bit of organic material the new bacterial substance is then absorbed by single cell plant organisms called algae the millions of algae grow and multiply at a rapid rate as microscopic plants they also absorb sunlight and through the process of photosynthesis the algae convert the sunlight and bacterial elements into food energy at the same time giving off oxygen eventually the algae also die and sink to the bottom becoming part of a thick sludge 50 times richer in protein than is produced from an acre of wheat if the water is drained from the pond the sludge may be gathered by a simple method and dried in the sun by a simple method [Applause] the coagulated algae plant material is now a rich nutrient that can be sterilized and fed to animals [Music] the university of california's experimental pond employs mechanical techniques to harvest the algae not to alter the natural process but to speed it filters and drains are used to separate inorganic wastes from the natural sewage upon which bacteria thrive pumping equipment is used to activate the water so that bacterial elements are stirred together with a living algae instead of settling to the bottom the thick surface layer of algae organisms are harvested by drainage from the pond's surface instead of by emptying the pond [Music] separation of the sludge is by centrifuge and drying is by steam rather than sunshine the steam simultaneously sterilizes the algae of possible disease carrying elements the result a protein-rich concentration of animal food in dry granular form it may be stored indefinitely without refrigeration its odor is similar to that of fresh alfalfa hay the algae is so rich in vegetable protein it is best mixed with cheap carbohydrate grains for feeding to domestic livestock the scientists are investigating animal acceptance of algae as food while goats are not particular about their diet the fact that they love algae may be of interest to populations which raise goats for their meat hair and milk the meat of lambs which were fed with algae was excellent in quality and taste not all countries have the soil and water to produce rich protein but every country has algae-producing sewage is science about to give the world a rich new harvest if one were looking for evidence that the world has entered an age of science he would have had no difficulty seeing it with his own eyes on a late summer day in the city of new york at the world's fair a new and permanent hall of science so new it was still being completed when it was opened to a fascinated public and a few miles away in a large hotel an international gathering of six thousand biochemists welcomed in nine languages to an impressive display of technical equipment serving their profession [Music] before returning to the world's fair hall of science just a few moments spent with the delegates at the biochemical congress would produce this observation science has become a significant industry over 100 manufacturers took exhibit space to display their equipment materials and supplies to the scientists even the displays of books pamphlets and periodicals on biochemical subjects indicated that publishers are doing substantial business in serving the needs of science some of the exhibits contained improved models of equipment the biochemists already were using in their laboratories [Music] and some devices were so new that they had to be demonstrated to the scientists to the non-professional some equipment bore a solid and rather grim appearance that suggested only that it was expensive as indeed it was and some items were a bit more engaging to the non-professional eye to the scientists everything had its function to help them analyze measure control or observe the elements of life at the world's fair hall of science the scientific displays are designed to instruct and entertain the public and particularly to inspire young people the electronic brain depicts how thought develops and how the brain reacts to stimuli visitors learn how the separate visual and auditory impressions experienced at a song concert become a single impression the functions of both areas of the brain are shown by light signals and patterns parents find the entrance to one display area a bit small since this tiny scientific city is for children only a child begins his adventure in the exhibit searching for uranium before progressing to other displays of peaceful uses for atomic energy the child detects ionizing radiation with an electroscope while controlling the ionizing spark himself bicycle power generators with timers and watt meters show a child how ordinary electrical output compares with uranium energy while closed circuit television shows the mother her child by doing the children learn how to handle radioactive materials with mechanical hands behind a protective shield when a block is placed in its matching hole he learns how a radio isotope is used a giant push-button exercise illustrates that different elements of the same size have different atomic weights a scientific city for youngsters only and not one don't touch sign everyone is welcome at an exhibit called the chemical man but its aim is to attract youngsters into careers in the life sciences peering into a dark and cone-shaped well the audience sees the wondrous molecular activity that creates and sustains human life sequences use three-dimensional models special photography and animated motion pictures to depict man's body chemistry the action of atoms molecules and cells demonstrates the miracle of life as far as it is now understood [Music] all are simple units lifeless in themselves but in the coordinated display they depict the dynamic chemistry of life [Music] high in the upper hall and suspended upside down to the audience are simulated space vehicles one of them is a space resupply taxi that is about to couple with the second vehicle [Music] the cylindrical object in the foreground represents a permanent space laboratory the coupling takes place [Music] safely docked dummies of a relief crew leave the taxi and enter the floating laboratory a space show on earth in the world of science on exhibit at new york's hall of science [Music] you