As the NFL continues to dominate headlines in both sports and politics, there was a renewed focus this month on CTE and its impact on the lives of players from youth to professional football. CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, is a degenerative brain disorder resulting from repeated, sub-concussive blows to the head causing the buildup of an abnormal protein called …
In the lead-up to this year’s Superbowl, a surge of scientists, celebrities, athletes and everyday citizens all weighed in, many with tongues-in-cheek, to a so-called scandal about the deflation of game balls prepared by one of the competing teams. While popular media bubbled with the latest news for nearly two weeks, a simultaneous commentary was launched by some…
As usual, The Onion sums up what all the other English-language coverage of the Sochi Olympics will likely sound like. Maryam Omidi goes to Zizek for an explanation of the widely-circulated twin toilet story. How are Western magazines covering the Olympics? Brian Whitmore, Kirill Kobrin and Mark Galeotti discuss the politics surrounding the Sochi games. William Nickell explores the history …
Malcolm Gladwell’s New Yorker article, “Man and Superman,” on genetics and performance in sport kicks off this month’s web roundup, where we ask the questions: Who is a superman (or superwoman)? How do we even go about defining the characteristics of a superman? How might we account for subjectivities in the search for superman?
Gladwell cites an array of genetic …
A surprise at the Olympic Opening Ceremony
The Olympic Games officially begin tomorrow, July 27th. Despite the organizers’ best efforts, details regarding the opening ceremony have inevitably leaked, spoiling much of the surprise. However, the recent announcement by the South African Olympic committee that Caster Semenya, a 21-year-old middle-distance runner, will carry the country’s flag in the …
Science, Medicine, and Anthropology