Wartime Technology

Science at war reported these developments and discoveries:

> To protect castaways in shark-infested seas, the Navy announced a shark-repellent substance. A secret concoction which sharks abhor, it was developed by the Office of Scientific Research & Development in cooperation with Marine Studies, Inc., was tested in waters off Florida and Ecuador.

> Body dusting powder is less a luxury than a necessity in tropical warfare. Fungus infections (like "athlete's foot") start and spread quickly in the damp heat. A new after-bath powder contains natural and synthetic insecticides to ward off typhus-carrying lice.

> Infrared rays are now used to dry damp sand molds for castings, cutting drying time and freeing labor needed by the torch and charcoal method.

> Liquid soapless shampoo is gentler and more effective than ordinary soap for washing fuel oil from shipwrecked men, is now included in first-aid kits on many U.S. ships.

> "Wedgies" are the latest styles for paratroopers. The new rubber heels, made by Goodyear, have a smooth junction with the sole to avoid snagging, provide a better cushion for hard landings.

> Glass-fiber yarns, once woven into decorative fabrics, are now limited to war uses only. Fireproof, rotproof and impervious to salt air, Fiberglas curtains Navy doorways to save weight and metal. Glass fabric is also used as a lampshade on million-candle-power reconnaissance flares to keep the glare out of observers' eyes and camera lenses.

> Optical lenses now produced by Bausch & Lomb allow observers to look directly into the sun, favorite concealment of hostile bombers.

> Synthetic shoe leather, produced on carpet looms by Bigelow-Sanford, is made of close-woven cotton impregnated with plastic. Soles of the cottonleather give more mileage than the best leather, can be cemented or sewed to uppers.

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