New Scientist 2000; 168(2260): web edition
First posted 20.2.02

Unnatural selection

Your article predicting that Olympic records will not continue to be surpassed because athletes are now performing at close to the physical limits of human-beings misses one important point - the lengths people will go to to win.

This year Olympic organisers are not testing for doping with human growth hormone, and many observers expect records to fall because of this. However, a more concerning doping threat in the performance-enhancement arms race may be with us as early as the next Olympiad - that of genetic modification. Gene replacement therapy to give an athlete bigger and better muscles tailored to their specialist event would yield an enormous advantage, yet would be almost impossible to test for.

The Olympics are already full of tiny gymnasts, swimmers with huge feet and stocky weightlifters. The rate at which records are broken may tail-off for a time. But under the constant selection pressure to win, and with the temptation of genetic meddling available, I believe athletes will continue to find ways to get better. Even if it means that they will become less and less "human" in the process.

Craig Webster

Reference

1. "The ultimate challenge" New Scientist 2000; 167(2255): 20.