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 …
Allan Schwarz’s recent New York Times article “Attention Disorder or Not, Pills to Help in School” presented some controversial testimonials on the prescription of attention deficit and hyperactivity (ADHD) medications to low-income children. As science writer Emily Willingham points out, this article is part of a two decade long debate over the merits of medicating our nation’s children …
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 …
This report highlights the activities of the Science, Technology and Medicine Interest Group (one of several special interest groups affiliated with the Society for Medical Anthropology (SMA)) at the 2011 Annual Meetings of the Society for the Social Studies of Science (4S) conference in Cleveland, OH in early November. Within the broader structure of the SMA, STM promotes the anthropological …