Athleticism and Genes: How Genetics Shape Movement

Dear readers,

Summer is slowly arriving. And with it, the heat. This weekend, temperatures in Hanover topped 30 degrees for the first time this year. I was groaning quite a bit – despite having an iced coffee in my hand. And it's only June!

But I don't want to complain too much, because according to the latest heat ranking by the German Environmental Aid (DUH), Hanover is only among the averagely hot cities. The DUH's nationwide "heat check" evaluated data from 190 German cities and found that more than twelve million Germans are exposed to extreme heat in their communities.

However, it's not just temperature that plays a role in a city's heat stress. Another important aspect is the ratio of sealed surface to green space. These values ​​were also taken into account in the DUH ranking. Mannheim takes first place – a rather disappointing one in this case – followed by Ludwigshafen and Worms. Anyone thinking: I'll just move north, where it's nice and cool, isn't exactly helped.

Cities in the north, such as Kiel, also have excessively high levels of sealed surfaces. Urgent action is needed to ensure that summers remain somewhat bearable in the future: "From now on, greening cities and preserving trees must be given the same priority as housing construction and any other infrastructure," demands Barbara Metz, Federal Executive Director of the DUH.

Until then, I'm enjoying the beautiful, large, green parks in Hanover, like the Eilenriede, which provide some relief from the heat – and my iced coffee, of course.

Sincerely

Yours, Ina Johannsen

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Source: IMAGO/Sven Simon

They are found in every school class: the ultra-athletes. Those who master every ball sport, every track and field discipline, and who are also good at gymnastics. They appear to be natural talents, but who may also be equipped with good sports genes. But wait, is there even such a thing as a sports gene? My colleague Irene Habich looked into this question. "There is no simple answer to that yet," says Billy Sperlich, a professor at the Institute of Sports Science in Würzburg, although research has been carried out in this area for a long time. It has, however, already been proven that a certain gene is often strongly pronounced in professional middle and long-distance runners: the ACE gene. This promotes endurance by regulating blood pressure. In short-distance runners, on the other hand, a different gene is usually dominant. You can read about which other factors influence performance and whether there is also an "unathleticism gene" here .

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Source: IMAGO/MASKOT

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But older people not only become more anxious with age, they also become more relaxed. The reason: "Older people are better able to assess dangers and threats due to their life experience," says aging researcher Frieder Lang. So, getting older definitely has its positive aspects.

If there's one phrase I've taken away from biology class, it's this: "Survival of the fittest"—as the naturalist Charles Darwin called it. With his new book, "Survival of the Fittest," Dirk Brockmann shows that this phrase doesn't always hold true. "In evolution, innovation always arises through cooperation," says Brockmann. Even when the foundations for higher life were laid, the collaboration of two primordial bacteria was necessary. These combined to form a new organism.

Dirk Brockmann's new book: Survival of the Nettest.

Source: Dtv

The "survival of the fittest" theory remains a law of nature, the systems biologist explains in an interview. Competition ultimately makes organisms more efficient. However, cooperative forces are driving innovation: "Cooperation and symbiosis are not marginal phenomena, but the dominant principle when it comes to innovation," says Brockmann. This is evident not least in society. For example, the human economic system is not sustainable because it is solely focused on growth, according to Brockmann. We could learn a lot from nature in this regard.

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Wildflowers are a true paradise for flora and fauna.

Source: Thomas Warnack/dpa

Summertime is gardening time. Finally, all the hard work year-round pays off, and you can truly enjoy your own little piece of land. The flowerbeds are blooming, the wooden bench invites you to linger, and the lush green lawn is a true feast for the eyes. But even though a beautiful ornamental lawn looks good, it's not the best choice from an ecological perspective. While it can help cool the environment, this monoculture doesn't promote biodiversity. There are better alternatives.

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If you have any suggestions or criticism, please contact our editorial team directly at [email protected] . We look forward to hearing from you!

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