Performance-enhancing drugs, rain, fish and more make Strange But True

Q: Performance-enhancing drugs in sports are one thing, polydactyl pitchers are quite another. In what fascinating sense do the two somewhat overlap?

A: While many fans decry the use of such drugs, pointing to the rapid beefing up of Barry Bonds, others ask why "Tommy John" surgery is OK when it's not "natural" either, says Steve Mirsky in Scientific American.

John pitched until his arm gave out, but in 1974, orthopedic surgeon Frank Jobe replaced his ulnar collateral ligament with a tendon from his arm, allowing him to take the mound for another 15 years. Yet today, "so many pitchers have performed so well after Tommy John surgery, some young pitchers have considered having it done electively."

Also, consider these cases:

Pitcher Mordecai Brown, nicknamed "Three-Finger" after losing a finger in a farm-equipment accident. Ironically, his curveball became better.

"Pitcher Antonio Alfonseca's hereditary polydactyly gave him six fingers per hand. Do we need a five-finger rule?" Mirsky quips.

Then there was Finnish Olympic seven-time cross-country skiing medalist Eero Mantyranta, whose genetic condition dramatically increased his red blood cell count and oxygen-carrying capacity. "Which is a pretty terrific thing for an endurance athlete to have." Isn't this a form of blood doping? Yes, answers Mirsky, though it's a natural form if a mutation is natural.

"So if users of performance-enhancing drugs are disqualified, should holders of performance-enhancing mutations be barred, too?" The debate goes on, along with the unanswered questions.

Q: Which creatures probably hate getting caught in the rain more than you do?

A: Rain poses a challenge for any fliers, with water drops often hitting them hard, reducing visibility and adding water weight that makes staying aloft more energy-consuming, says Science Illustrated.com.

See original here:
Performance-enhancing drugs, rain, fish and more make Strange But True