The sportiest science stories of 2024

Had enough of the test matches?

First of all: that’s impossible. Turn the cricket back on. Second of all, if it’s tea time, here are 5 of our favourite sport science stories from 2024 for you to recall.

Cricket physics: why was Malinga’s slinging successful?

Physicists have studied a cricket ball in a wind tunnel to understand why Sri Lanka’s unorthodox bowler Lasith Malinga’s career was so successful.

The results, write the researchers, “provide valuable insights for improving unconventional bowling techniques in cricket”.

The science of running shoes – how fast can they go?

Ruth Chepng’etich made headlines earlier this year when she cut the women’s marathon record from 2:11:53 to 2:09:56. That’s a 1.48% improvement – a dramatic drop.

One reason she may have cut the record so spectacularly is super shoes. More specifically, high-tech shoes perfectly tuned for individual performance.

Sports bodies need a cultural shift around concussion

The AFL season was plagued by headlines about the dangers of concussions, with 6 players announcing their early retirement due to excessive head knocks.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), along with long-term cognitive decline, is commonly recognised as one of the most serious and dangerous consequences of repetitive sports concussions.

But a new study has found that, contrary to longstanding concerns, the benefits of participation in sports may outweigh the negative effects of concussions.

Study questions if women really are more prone to ACL injuries

New findings challenge the common claim that women are more likely than men to suffer ACL injuries.

The latest study argues that current methods used to measure ACL injury rates fails to consider the gendered inequalities women face in sports, leading to biased results.

Watching the heart of a New York City Marathon runner

When two-time Olympic marathoner Des Linden stepped onto the course at this year’s New York City Marathon, she won’t be alone. In addition to the more than 50,000 other runners competing with her, she will be accompanied by a “digital twin” of her heart.

On first impression, a digital twin sounds like nothing more than a computer model, akin to what meteorologists have been doing for decades in order to make ever-more-accurate weather forecasts. But it’s a lot more than that.