Science at the Olympics: Team Science
Science has had a hand in every aspect of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For the thousands of athletes, researchers have helped to develop training techniques, schedules, diet, equipment and doping checks. For the millions of spectators about to descend on London, they have contributed to urban planning, crowd control, public health and security. For the billions watching at home, they have shaped the technology that will measure athletic feats and beam them worldwide. Yet those scientists toil in the background, understandably overshadowed by the sporting spectacle.
Here, Nature profiles four scientists whose work will contribute to the giant human experiment that is the Olympic Games.