Sports
Team and individual sports and physical activities
Why don’t sprinters start with a pistol anymore? They’re too fast
The classic starting gun leaves too much margin of error, so London has switch to an electronic beep.
August 02, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Old-Timey Olympians Show How Things Have Changed
Clendenin's photos evoke the feeling that for all the changes seen by the modern Olympic games, the athletes themselves could easily be transposed across time.
August 01, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Gooooal! Two Technologies Compete to Sense Soccer Goals
A major botched call by referees during the World Cup has opened the door for computerized replacements
July 31, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
How China Will Beat the US in Olympic Medals
How to tell which countries will take home more bling, and why weight lifting matters.
July 30, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
How to Win Money by Predicting the Olympics
Statistics could help predict just how fast athletes will run and swim at this summer's Olympics.
July 27, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
A Single Brain Structure May Give Winners That Extra Physical Edge
An extraordinary insula helps elite athletes better anticipate their body's upcoming feelings, improving their physical reactions
July 26, 2012 |
By Sandra Upson
When the Olympics Gave Out Medals for Art
In the modern Olympics’ early days, painters, sculptors, writers and musicians battled for gold, silver and bronze
July 25, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
The Science Behind London Olympics’ “Springy” Track
When the athletes hit the track at this summer's Olympic games, they'll be stepping onto a surface as finely tuned as they are.
July 24, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Which Freestyle Method Would Help You Beat Michael Phelps?
Scientists examine the difference between two distinct freestyle strokes in order to determine the most efficient stroke around.
July 23, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Great Books—and the Best Places to Read Them
Reading while traveling can serve as a sensory supplement to one's surrounding environment. Here's a list of some of my favorite books and where to read them
July 21, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Man’s Best Friend or the World’s Number-One Pest?
With perhaps 600 million strays skirmishing for food on the fringe of the human world, street dogs are a common element of travel just about everywhere
July 18, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
The Swimsuit Series, Part 4: A Competitive Swimmer’s Musings
In Leanne Shapton's Swimming Studies "Bathing" chapter, there's a story behind every suit
July 17, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Return of the King Salmon
In the ocean waters just off California's Central Coast, the fish are swarming this summer like they haven't in years
July 12, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
In Sports, Winning Streaks Are Just Flukes
Winning streaks are engrained into our sports psyches, but are they actually a legitimate phenomoenon?
July 11, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Hungry? Pull Over. Here’s Your Guide to the Best Bets of Roadside Foraging
All along the roadways of America—and the world—there's figs, avocados and wild berries ripe for the picking
July 10, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Double-Amputee Oscar Pistorius Will Compete In Olympics 400 Meter Race Without Qualifying
South Africa's Oscar Pistorius was born without bones in both of his lower legs and is a double amputee. But he will run in this summer's Olympics, the first amputee to compete in the games' track meets.
July 06, 2012 |
By Sarah Laskow
Swimsuit Series, Part 3: Is Today Truly the 66th Anniversary of the First Bikini?
The two-piece bathing suit got skimpier and more scandalous in 1946 Paris
July 05, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Fitness Afar: Great Places to Hang Out at the Bar
Going abroad needn’t mean going flabby—determined globe-trotters can find pull-up bars and other outdoor gymnastics equipment in some of the most unexpected places.
July 03, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Why Are Jim Thorpe’s Olympic Records Still Not Recognized?
100 years ago, Jim Thorpe became the greatest American Olympian of all time, but not if you ask the IOC
July 2012 |
By Sally Jenkins
The Science of Choking Under Pressure
With amateurs and pros clamoring for answers, a psychologist who studies screw-ups comes through in the clutch
July 2012 |
By Abigail Tucker
