Science: How Oceans Grew

United Nations headquarters on the East River was host last week to more seagoing scientists than had ever before clustered on a single spot of dry land. Over 1,000 oceanographers from 38 countries gathered for the first International Oceanographic Congress, some 500 of them prepared to read scientific papers. During the two weeks of sessions every aspect of the oceans was scheduled for a full going-over, from the microscopic diatoms that float near the sunny surface to the mysterious cracks and bulges on the pitch-black bottom.

Of the seven research vessels that tied up...

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