Posted on 07/12/2010 12:47:10 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Scientists have found the reason why blacks dominate on the running track and whites in the swimming pool: it's in their belly-buttons, a study published Monday shows.
What's important is not whether an athlete has an innie or an outie but where his or her navel is in relation to the rest of the body, says the study published in the International Journal of Design and Nature and Ecodynamics.
The navel is the center of gravity of the body, and given two runners or swimmers of the same height, one black and one white, "what matters is not total height but the position of the belly-button, or center of gravity," Duke University professor Andre Bejan, the lead author of the study, told AFP.
"It so happens that in the architecture of the human body of West African-origin runners, the center of gravity is significantly higher than in runners of European origin," which puts them at an advantage in sprints on the track, he said.
Individuals of West African-origin have longer legs than European-origin athletes, which means their belly-buttons are three centimeters (1.18 inches) higher than whites', said Bejan.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Very interesting.
Paging Nick "The Greek," white courtesy phone, please.
Navel studies program .
The first lie. This article reminds me of those theories that measured the cranium, and could divine all manner of truths in the 1800s.
Uh... mightn't THAT have more to do with it than belly-button placement??
I don’t think we’re supposed to talk about things like this in today’s politically correct world.
You can joke about “white men can’t jump” but never ever can say “black men can’t do such and such”.
They are thin politically correct ice even broaching this subject. A feminist woman professed that she was going to faint and throw up at a conference which discussed why so few women are in the hard sciences. Some subject are just too hot to handle.
Finally, scientists are truly engaging in ‘navel gazing’.
Why am I reminded of Nazi studies of the size and shape of the nose as it relates to criminal behavior?
Makes sense
When I went to high school, I was always embarrassed about the location of my belly-button. I tried exercises, but nothing seemed to help.
Every morning I would stand and look at it in the mirror. I would look at other people’s belly-buttons and experience deep feelings of inadequacy.
My parents told me I had a fine belly-button, but it didn’t help. Then one day the lead cheerleader at my high school told me she liked it.
From that day on, I wore my belly-button with pride.
I went on to be nationally recognized for my belly-button.
I’m still a slow runner, but I have managed to compensate in other ways.
If you have a low belly-button, don’t let it get to you. It can be overcome.
But, but, but . . . the only difference is the color of their skin.
This article was about belly-buttons. I don’t see a belly-but...
Oh. There it is. Nevermind... ;^)
So I must be genetically engineered to drive a car. lol
It’s not NICE to fool Mother Nature, but in this case, maybe I’ll make an exception.
Obviously, I didn’t see your text at the top either... LOL.
Did this ‘research’ get funded by taxpayers?
If so- another example of what is wrong with Washington DC.
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