ESPN mag has an article on genetic testing of young children to identify their best sport. Here's an excerpt that might be of interest:
I had learned that elite soccer players have unusually long ring fingers (compared to their index fingers) on their left hands. It's apparently a marker of prenatal testosterone, which helps form a strong cardiovascular system. So, in the interest of science, I sent a photocopy of my kid's paw to John Manning, the English pioneer of this quirky research. On the morning of Kellen's first birthday, I reach Manning in his office at the University of Central Lancashire. He greets me with an amused laugh. "I've not looked at many hands of people so young," he says.
But digit length is fixed for life, so I want to know: can Kellen's fingers point us in a direction? Manning sets the phone down, to measure with his calipers. There is a silence for half a minute, as he does the math again. Kellen's left index finger is 30.75 millimeters long; his ring finger is 34 millimeters. "So, if you divide these two, his ration is .90," Manning says. "That is very low, the kind of ratio that one sees in international-level soccer players."
Bart Eklund
(512) 419-5436
(512) 454-8807 (fax)
I had learned that elite soccer players have unusually long ring fingers (compared to their index fingers) on their left hands. It's apparently a marker of prenatal testosterone, which helps form a strong cardiovascular system. So, in the interest of science, I sent a photocopy of my kid's paw to John Manning, the English pioneer of this quirky research. On the morning of Kellen's first birthday, I reach Manning in his office at the University of Central Lancashire. He greets me with an amused laugh. "I've not looked at many hands of people so young," he says.
But digit length is fixed for life, so I want to know: can Kellen's fingers point us in a direction? Manning sets the phone down, to measure with his calipers. There is a silence for half a minute, as he does the math again. Kellen's left index finger is 30.75 millimeters long; his ring finger is 34 millimeters. "So, if you divide these two, his ration is .90," Manning says. "That is very low, the kind of ratio that one sees in international-level soccer players."
Bart Eklund
(512) 419-5436
(512) 454-8807 (fax)
