Word: vapor
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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When the crop is big enough, a sample is put into a cotton-stoppered vial inside a bigger vial, and frozen solid. When the air is pumped out of the vial, the frozen water departs as vapor, leaving a dry residue that looks like an aspirin tablet and contains perhaps 1,000,000 deeply sleeping germs. Some germs will live for 20 years in this state, and can be awakened by adding nutrient. Thus encouraged, they multiply-and then can be put back to sleep again for another 20 years...
...Edward R. Manring of Geophysics Corp. of America reported on a discovery made by Nike-Asp rockets, fired to a height of 140 miles over the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's range at Wallops Island, Va., which were equipped to leave a trail of luminous sodium vapor. Observation of the vapor trails showed that above 80 miles, thin winds from the southwest were blowing at the astounding speed of 600 m.p.h. No cause is known for these in credible winds, but John W. Townsend of NASA conjectured that high, warm winds from the south might be the cause...
Toward Synthetic Cells. Biochemist Sidney W. Fox of Florida State University reported progress toward creating life in the laboratory. Experimenters have long known that when a mixture of methane, ammonia, carbon dioxide and water vapor (all probable constituents of the earth's primitive atmosphere) is bombarded with electric sparks or high-energy radiation, amino acids are produced. Amino acids are the building blocks that form the multitudinous proteins in living organisms, and Dr. Fox carried the process a step farther. When he heated a mixture of amino acids with polyphosphoric acid as a catalyst, he got big molecules with...