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.
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