Winning in the Olympics

Should Oscar Pistorius's Prosthetic Legs Disqualify Him from the Olympics?

Scientists debate whether prosthetic legs give Pistorius an unfair advantage in the 400-meter race

Unnatural Selection: Muscles, Genes and Genetic Cheats

Can specific genes cause muscles to grow faster or stronger, and can genetic tampering give athletes an unnatural edge?

Why Great Olympic Feats Raise Suspicions

"Performance profiling" could help catch athletes who use banned performance-enhancing drugs

Rope a Dope: Drug Testing in Sports Enters a More Aggressive Era

Unusual variations in an athlete's blood could determine guilt, even if no illegal substances are found

Sports Psychologists Extend Their Counseling to Athletes' Coaches and Families

Mental trainers reach further to create the ideal environment for victory

Leg and Head Injuries Are Frequent at the Olympics

Athletes are injured frequently—badminton players more so than ski jumpers

Push Comes to Pull: What's the Best Freestyle Swimming Stroke? [Video]

This summer's Olympic games in London feature 14 different freestyle swimming competitions, by far the most races for any type of stroke. The world's elite swimmers can traverse a 50-meter pool in 22 to 26 seconds, yet they are divided over which of two variations of the stroke are more effective: the more powerful "deep catch" approach or the more streamlined "scull." And the physics behind the debate is fascinating.In the deep catch approach, a swimmer puts his or her arm straight forward, then down as deep as possible into the water, and pushes that arm back as hard as possible, keeping the palms perpendicular to the direction the swimmer wants to move.

Many Olympians Suffer from Asthma

The most common chronic condition among all Olympic athletes is asthma. But many don't start suffering symptoms until their later years, suggesting that endurance training could be a trigger. Katherine Harmon reports

Time Shift: Is London's Big Ben Falling Down?

Rumors abound about the famous clock tower's imminent demise, blaming the 1999 construction of an underground train station. But those in the know say it ain't so

Running barefoot is better, researchers find

Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth [Slide Show]

Usain Bolt might be the world's fastest human but animals big and small would handily beat him

The New Face of Women’s Boxing

Marlen Esparza, the flyweight pugilist, has spent all her life waiting for the chance to compete on the Olympic stage

How Speedo Created a Record-Breaking Swimsuit

After officials banned the swimsuit that caused records to fall at the 2008 Olympic Games, scientists are back with a new outfit that could break more records

Will Swimsuit Controversy Rise Again? [Timeline]

Arguments over whether high-tech attire gives swimmers an unfair advantage have been waged for 80 years

The Men Behind the First U.S. Olympic Team

Kicked out of Harvard, these pioneering athletes were ahead of their time

When the Olympics Awarded Medals to Artists

In the modern Games’ early days, painters, sculptors, writers and musicians battled for gold, silver and bronze