American Football

Individuals who suffer head trauma from sports, accidents, or other causes often go on to develop neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. A new study sheds light on why that might be and offers a way to prevent it.

Researchers found that soccer players who use their head to control the ball show abnormalities in their brains similar to CTE – not the news 275 million soccer players around the world want to hear.

One of the dangerous things about sports-related concussions is the fact that athletes may not realize they have one, so they don't seek medical attention. A new sensor could let them know, and it would go on their neck, not their head.

A team of scientists from Brigham Young University (BYU), Utah, has developed a smartfoam-based sensor system that could give NFL coaches the tools they need to catch concussions as they happen, and take appropriate action.

Sports helmets usually receive impacts at an angle, with the resulting twisting of the head potentially causing brain injuries to the wearer. Now, scientists have developed something to help keep that from happening – a sticker.​

As a way of testing new sensors and software, University of Washington seismologists have planted seismographs to study the fanmade "earthquake" caused by American football spectators.

The US Army and the US National Football League are cooperating on a project to develop better ways of preventing concussion.