Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, March 1900 Vol. 56, Nov. 1899 to April, 1900

In this March 1900 issue of a turn‑of‑the‑century popular science journal, a wide array of topics—from modern roadways to early experiments in flight—share the page, but the lead article commands special attention. Written by a Harvard dean, the essay examines what happens when living things are uprooted from their native soils and climates, using examples from domesticated animals to tropical plants to illustrate the limits of biological adaptability.

Turning to humanity, the author argues that most peoples struggle to thrive outside their ancestral environments, citing the failure of Europeans to acclimatize in the tropics while suggesting that African laborers in North America appeared to endure the harsh northern climate remarkably well. The piece reflects the scientific language and social attitudes of its time, offering a window into early twentieth‑century attempts to understand race, environment, and labor through a natural‑history lens.