Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger? | David Epstein

When you look at sporting achievements over the last decades, it seems like humans have gotten faster, better and stronger in nearly every way. Yet as David Epstein points out in this delightfully counter-intuitive talk, we might want to lay off the self-congratulation. Many factors are at play in shattering athletic records, and the development of our natural talents is just one of them. TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more. Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at http://www.ted.com/translate Follow TED news on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tednews Like TED on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TED Subscribe to our channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector

Comments

1. Nerds are funny lol
2. Since I've been athletics for decades most of the improvement physically is from the pharmaceutical end.
3. What if time is getting slower?
4. Using the 1904 Olympic marathon is incredibly misleading as there were various implements actually designed to deprive the runners of water as part of a sick experiment
5. This is fascinating!
6. Not sure what the point of this talk is supposed to be, except it's some guy pretending to know what he's taking about. He claims improvements in performance are due to technology, but then admits athletes are training harder and smarter, and have a better mindset than ever before. THAT'S why they're faster, pencil neck!
7. It's not well known that humans are the best long distance runners on the planet. If you make a race sufficiently long humans can beat horses. Due to our lack of fur, sweating ability, body configuration and high lung capacity to size ratio as well as springy feet, and large glute.
8. pre historic man
9. i also notice that pre historic had way more muscle power than bolt and can run more than 30 miles per hour
10. why I don't watch the Olympics
11. it's stopped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12. "have you ever looked at an ape's butt?"
    I'm dying
13. Has he ever heard of drugs?
14. this guy is obviously a fan boy.... if you really think all the sports achievements in recent years are solely attributed to the fact that coaches and others finally got the brain to specialise their scouting pool or used recent scientific research to expand their training capacities...you're as naive as you look... ever heard of PEDs? no elite athlete you've seen on the screen has won accolades with taking them, they have to because the normal human body can't take intensive training regimes these guys subject themselves to
    yes technology has paid a huge part because our knowledge of the material universe has grown exponentially... but going around compiling nice little click bait charts that are awfully obvious doesn't make the new darwin sunshine.... it just means you're explaining the obvious.
    Go work at your desk, this talk was boring
15. They are all black
16. Bolt still a win
    Jamaica a win
    A we still a win
    Dem girl keep the black ting shining
    Unruly Ting
17. Notice he put up the 2008 swimsuit technology for the Olympics and yet over 20 swim records were broken in 2012, 2 years after the ban on those suits.
    
    I agree with his general idea - technology, training and steroids do play a large role... but modern people are better athletes.... especially because of improved childhood diets around the world. People are taller, faster and stronger.
    
    Edit: Yeah he mentions specialized bodies for sports... but before Bolt would anyone have taken a 6'5 sprinter seriously? No.
18. There all on steriods ask lance
19. Greeeeat presentation! Does anyone here know which application he uses for the prezi? Obviously not powerpoint!?