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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 1980)
eatures THE BATTALION Page 13 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1980 {an not built for 100-plus umans have age limit T Tnittflfl United Press International LONDON — The biochemist whose theories of why ive grow old are among the most respected in science jpys the human organism is built to function for 90 to 100 ears of life and there will be no dramatic breakthrough ITongevity to produce a race of centenarians. I Some people, said Dr. Zhores Medvedev, will con- jj^ue to live a few years beyond 100 but they are rare Teptions and their experience has no relevance to the r t of us. serious scientist in the field, he said, now believes Search can do more than add a year or two here and fcre to this “biological limit,” for example, by the Luest of killer diseases or by strengthening the sys- [ns by which the body protects itself. ]‘In other words, we can eliminate all hazards, some Merited defects, help the protective enzyme systems t patrol the body, and many more of us will live to -ween 90 and 100,” Medvedev said. “But the fact is |t evolution did not build longevity (beyond that) into r makeup.” ,ledvedev, 55, world famous for his research in biolo- and related fields, was one of the Soviet Union’s ding scientists until he disagreed with the establish- nt and particularly the genetic theories of Josef Sta- s favorite scientist, T. D. Lysenko. !e is now stateless and attached to the National Insti- e for Medical Research in London where he chatted Ian office near his laboratory. He had been editing his latest paper, which calls attention to one of the problems in trying to explain the mechanism of aging. Primates, for instance, have maximum life spans rang ing from 10 to 100 years with man on the high end of the scale. They are closely linked by evolution so, the ques tion arises, why does the speed of aging differ so radical ly in cells of the same type or the same design? One theory is Medvedev’s own hypothesis that higher organisms have more backup genes in their cells and that these take the place of genes damaged by molecular accidents. Eventually all the genes are used up and deterioration takes place — more quickly where there are few substitute genes, more slowly where there is plenty of reserve. Another theory, favored by plant gerontologists, is that a genetic clock controls the aging of some tissues. Medvedev was the first to suggest that any system such as the body that synthesizes complex products must make errors. American scientists went further with what became known as “the error catastrophe.” That is, when the body accumulates enough errors, death results. Medvedev does not agree. He believes there are built-in evolutionary safeguards, enzymes that work as repair and editing systems to correct errors and keep the body machine functioning. He likened it to the damage in cells caused by radia tion. There are now drugs that can reduce the effect of radiation. iudderlbtt o maintain tffi > owls, foxes treated at vildanimal ‘halfway house’ United Press International | |ATLANTA—Pompey was hit by a [ jruck and Lefty was shot. Banchi was olen from his home in the woods. • AH three are patients in the wild C 1 IT O' ^ rehabilitation program at the 3 I.Ilu'hattahoochee Nature Center, 0 here new things are being learned rhlvmnwtitr m how in J ured animals can be lated and successfully returned to sncies in proik , w '^' . , ^ , , T r. • WlPW ,S ^ t5U J hawk ' 18 im owl and Banchi is a red fox. liff Kevill, a supervisor of the re- ia t would li J aitatio f n P f ro S ram ; s ?y s Pompey’s nces of returning to the woods are •50. Banchi will make it back to his ural surroundings after he grows ig more t was ap ut it is riticized pi iriginally introi atered domi! Jhe prognosis for Lefty, however, not good. He lost his left wing as a lilt of a gunshot wound. He prob- «y will live out his days at the na- We center, a poignant reminder to Pf , in V: I thousands of children who see of slaugmeniiE m each year of the need to ierouse«®ild creatures, said Kevill. onopolypow The wild animal rehabilitation osent from tk 'ogram has been operating for ree years. Each year the number of among the k its patients doubles. Publicity about the program and the continuing des truction by man of wild animal habi tats are the reasons for the increase, according to Kevill. The program is the first in Georgia and one of about 150 in the United States, most of them in California. Last year, the center took in over 800 animals. Most of the injured or orphaned wild animals brought to the center are birds, followed by mammals, such as squirrels, rabbits, o’possum and raccoons; and reptiles. The cen ter has 15-20 volunteer workers, some of whom take the patients home and care for them, Kevill said. “Ninety percent of the animals we get are injured by man or are injured as a result of man’s intrusion into the animal habitat,” said Kevill. “They are hit by cars, injured by dogs or cats, or they fall out of trees. Or, in the case of birds, they fly into the windows of houses.” The injured are kept in boxes and cages and nursed back to health. When they are strong enough, birds are placed in a wire enclosure out side. After a while, the enclosure is left open and the birds eventually fly away. Raccoons, skunks and foxes also have this sort of "halfway house,” where they are kept until released. The center, supported by dona tions and memberships, is located on 30 acres of county-owned, heavily wooded land on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Some rehabi litated animals are released there but others are taken to more remote locations and set free. Many children visit the center and they see animals that have been bad ly injured. “We are trying to develop an appreciation of nature,” said Kevill. “We want to teach people about animals that live in their own backyards.” He and his associates get about 100 phone calls a week from people seeking advice about wildlife — woodpeckers hammering on gutters, squirrels gnawing on the eaves of homes. rm is 2 ressure on W ock and mestp ,-e, the report ' nicii ilkp seizei ■ss Internatiok LES - F» rl n boots ma® ephant skin* ■e clothing! selling boots dangeredand? worth of confe made fromekf Je from p!*- :st seizure ol at thon and e nia history. ossession fo from PF : prohibit^? ty is a fine °» ! ; n jail for eac 0 r’s r stiy. t Scotch Record Care System For One-Step Total Record Care ■ deep cleans ■ removes static ■ reduces frictional drag Unique dispenser/applicator makes record care easier than ever. 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