NEWS SCRIPTS Paw preference proved
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Cats are particular about which paw they use and would rather fight than switch, says psychologist Michael J. Warren, director of Pennsylvania State University's animal behavior laboratory, where paw preference research has been in progress. In settling on either the right or left forepaw for operations such as retrieving food, the felines show a cerebral makeup which may help psychologists to trace the evolution of the human brain, Dr. Warren concludes. Cats of all sizes, ages, and family trees went through a complicated eight-test series at the Penn State laboratory. Half of the 34 test subjects showed definite right- or left-handedness even after their favored limb was sidelined for extended periods in a bulky, padded glove. Nine animals stuck to their right forepaw, eight remained with the left member, and one versatile black and white male named Moses proved ambidextrous. The persevering cats revealed that their right or left inclination was strong, stable over many months, and training resistant—quite similar to the hand preference of humans.
Scientists explain kugelblitzes Kugelblitzes (or balls of lightning) can be explained scientifically, say Dr. M. A. Uman and Dr. C. W. Helstrom of Westinghouse. They have proposed a mathematical model for the occurrence of the balls of fire during thunderstorms. They describe a kugelblitz as a luminous, high-temperature region of air which has high electrical conductivity. The heating occurs when direct currents of electricity funnel through a particular region between
storm clouds and the ground, making the air in that region hot enough to glow. This idea is an extension of one proposed by physicists at Yeshiva University, New York City. The Westinghouse pair calculates that the temperature at the center of the ball may be from 3500° to 6000° C , and the related electric currents involved may vary from tenths of an ampere to hundreds of amperes. The hypothesis proposed by the Westinghouse scientists holds that the diameter of the ball is a function of ball temperature and of the current density in the air between the thundercloud and the ground. If the temperature at the center of the ball were about 5000° C , and the ball were 8 inches in diameter, the brightness of the ball would correspond to that of a 1000-watt bulb. The ball will hang stationary in space if the cloud-to-ground currents are symmetrical about the ball and flow symmetrically through it. Any changes in these forces cause the ball to move. The ball normally disappears quietly if the electric currents fade away. But if there is a rapid change in currents, the ball will explode or collapse rapidly. The Uman-Helstrom concept states that the life of the ball may begin when the right amount of air is heated by a lightning stroke and the electric field between cloud and ground are within certain mathematical limits. The scientists disclosed their results in the April 15 issue of Journal of Geophysical Research.
Department of obscure information • Cincinnati General Hospital treats nearly 500 patients with head injuries every year.
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Japanese push catalysis research
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The high level of fundamental research in catalysis in Japanese universities and industry is detailed by NYU's John Happel on the basis of three months of travel and study in that country. A C&EN Feature.
