Drug Testing Examined (broadcast Friday, August 8th, 2008)

Floyd Landis in the 2006 Tour de France. Courtesy of colinedwards99/flickr

With the Olympics approaching, we take a look at the science of drug testing. Donald Berry, a statistician at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas in Houston, argues this week in the journal Nature that the procedures often used to judge whether an athlete has been doping are flawed. Berry looks specifically at the case of cyclist Floyd Landis, who was stripped of the title for the 2006 Tour de France after he was found guilty of taking synthetic testosterone. Berry says that the doping evidence against Landis is not necessarily compelling. In this segment, we'll hear what might be done to make drug testing more scientific. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests

Donald Berry
Head, Division of Quantitative Sciences
Chairman, Department of Biostatistics
Frank T. McGraw Memorial Chair of Cancer Research
MD Anderson Cancer Center
University of Texas
Houston, TX