The latter story sounds very much like Theodore Sturgeon's Microcosmic God, which was actually published in 1941. The lifeforms are called "neoterics" and live greatly accelerated lives, leading them to quickly outpace humanity technologically.
In the story there's a scene where Kidder, the scientist who created the neoterics, is running towards his house on one end of the island where he lived while the other end is being bombed. He later ends up defending himself and the neoterics in a very interesting way.
If this is the story, then it appeared in the following short story collections and perhaps one of these is the one you are seeking: (from ISFDB)
•Microcosmic God, Volume II: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon, (Dec 1995, Theodore Sturgeon, publ. North Atlantic Books, 1-55643-213-5, $25.00, xxxiii+372pp, hc, coll) Cover: Jacek Yerka - [VERIFIED]
•Microcosmic God, (Dec 1998, Theodore Sturgeon, publ. North Atlantic Books, 1-55643-301-8, $18.95, xxxiii+372pp, tp, coll) Cover: Jacek Yerka
•Microcosmic God: Volume II: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon, (Nov 2010, Theodore Sturgeon, publ. North Atlantic Books, 978-1-55643-659-8, $35.00, 408pp, hc, coll)
•Microcosmic God, (date unknown, Theodore Sturgeon, publ. North Atlantic Books, 1-55643-301-8, $18.95, xxxiii+372pp, tp, coll) Cover: Jacek Yerka - [VERIFIED]
The Microcosmic God, (1975, ed. Sam Moscowitz, publ. Manor Books, #12328, $1.25, 193pp, pb, anth) Cover: Bruce Pennington - [VERIFIED]
•Microcosmic God and Other Stories from Modern Masterpieces of Science Fiction, (1968, ed. Sam Moskowitz, publ. Macfadden-Bartell, #60-335, $0.60, 142pp, pb, anth) - [VERIFIED]
From the Wikipedia article:
!A highly secretive and reclusive biochemist named Kidder produces inventions that transform human life, spanning every aspect of science and engineering. Unbeknownst to anyone, Kidder has developed a synthetic life form, which he calls "neoterics." These creatures live at a greatly accelerated rate, and therefore have a very short lifespan and produce many generations over a short period of time. This allows Kidder, by presenting them with a frequently changing environment, to "evolve" them quickly into highly intelligent lifeforms who fear Kidder and worship him like a god. Kidder can control his neoterics' environment, and thus force them into developing technology far beyond that of humans. While earlier inventions had been his own, Kidder created the neoterics with the intention that they would become the source of many newer and greater inventions which he could claim as his own.
!Kidder's banker takes over the island on which he has built his laboratory, hoping to use a neoteric design for a new source of power to take over the world. When the banker strikes to kill Kidder and the workers who had assisted in building the power plant, Kidder asks the neoterics to throw up an impenetrable force field.
!The story ends years later. It is unknown whether or not Kidder is still alive under the shield, and certain that the neoterics have continued to develop technology far in excess of anything controlled by humans. The reader is left to suppose that, if the neoterics were to decide to take the Earth, nothing would stop them.
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