g m g D e s i g n . c o m

This is amazing. Moscow’s many stray dogs are adapting to the harsh conditions of that city, some even learning to ride the subway and get off on the right stops! (Many humans are barely able to do that.)

From the article (emphasis added):

But beggar dogs have evolved the most specialized behavior. Relying on scraps of food from commuters, the beggar dogs can not only recognize which humans are most likely to give them something to eat, but have evolved to ride the subway. Using scents, and the ability to recognize the train conductor’s names for different stops, they incorporate many stations into their territories.

Additionally, Poyarkov says the pack structure of the beggars reflects a reliance on brain over brawn for survival. In the beggar packs, the smartest dog, not the most physically dominant, occupies the alpha male position.

It’s interesting that baseball players seem to be more than willing to take the steroid gamble (even though some deny it had anything to do with their successful careers). After all, at some point in the future, they might not be able to continue doing so with impunity—they may even get in legal trouble for their crimes, which is exactly what would happen to the average (non-famous) person who engages in such behavior. And of course, their Hall of Fame spots could be in jeopardy. So why risk taking artificial testosterone in a sport wherein greater strength is ostensibly of no advantage?

My suspicion—and note that I do not believe there is definitive proof of this (yet)—is that the baseball players who take testosterone supplements do so because it does make them better baseball players. High levels of testosterone don’t just alter muscle mass. Testosterone causes other changes in the brain in addition to the obvious signals to increase muscle mass. High levels of testosterone are correlated with spatial intelligence, a characteristic that is useful in baseball or any other ball-focused sport.

From the article (emphasis mine):

Significant improvements in cognition were observed for spatial memory (recall of a walking route), spatial ability (block construction), and verbal memory (recall of a short story) in older men treated with testosterone compared with baseline and the placebo group, although improvements were not evident for all measures.

The article doesn’t mention hitting a ball, but I find it highly probable that higher serum testosterone levels would also enhance the ability to target baseballs and hit them with a greater degree of accuracy. Hence, if my pre-suppositions are correct, then it’s very likely that use of testosterone-increasing substances (including testosterone itself) would enhance one’s ability to play baseball.

I’m guessing most baseball players won’t admit that, or likely, aren’t even aware of it. However, it seems naive to me to consider steroid use in baseball or any other sport to be of negligible benefit, given the correlation to spatial intelligence, not to mention any other potential gains that could conceivably be conferred by greater testosterone use.