World Cup Soccer = science at its finest

OK, when I mean "at its finest", I am not talking about the reported good looks of the Italian team.  Rather, I am referring to all of the recent scientific discoveries surrounding soccer.  For example, one study conducted by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University, examined soccer players and assessed the impact of heading the ball.  The researchers found changes in the white matter of the brains of these soccer players that was consistent with people who had suffered traumatic brain injuries.  Perhaps, like American football, this study will someday lead to a requirement for soccer players to wear helmets.  Another study, led by Harvard University scientists, examined the most common diseases in Brazil, in an effort to provide a guide for clinicians and visitors to the country for the 2014 World Cup.  More interesting science related to soccer and the World Cup can be found here.