4 ms·

This is the best discussion I’ve read for anyone who wants a bunch of details on the history of this case, why we’d want to measure testosterone in the first pl

• belorn 8y ago
  Pretty good but it fell apart when it tries to argue that androgenization due to high T is the only relevant benefit heritability for success in sports. "I guarantee you that having small feet or short arms is not as much of a disadvantage as having no benefit from testosterone." The claim that women would all vanish from sport is also false. Testosterone is a predictor for athletic success, but not a defining one. A few women would still compete but they would be fewer. People have done qualitatively and quantitively studies on biological traits that correlates with success in sports, and depending on which sport it is you get different answers. Weight in some, height in others, blood values, and so on. The article says "a person who is identical in every respect with the exception of testosterone (Athlete B) will be 10% to 12% slower than Athlete A.". The problem is that the same can be said with red blood cells. A person who is identical in every respect with the exception of lower count of red blood cells (Athlete B) will be 10% to 12% slower than Athlete A. The exact same discussion of naturally high T values exist in skiing but on the topic of naturally high Hb.