You think your youngsters have the potential to be a certain something or achieve a certain thing?  Forget it. It has less and less to do with how hard you push them. Or with how long hours they practice. Or what breaks they get. Their success will have more to do with … well, things like where their belly buttons are located.

Researchers at Duke University checked out a hundred years of sprint records. They found that where a runner’s belly button is located determines how fast he or she will be able to run. That location tells them whether they have long or short torsos. The length of the torso is related to the length of the legs. And that, of course, determines their potential speed. 

This is why so many great sprinters are of West African origin. They have, on average, shorter torsos (higher belly buttons) and longer legs than runners of European origin.

If you are of European origin, take heart when it comes to swimming. Europeans’ longer torsos and shorter legs helps them swim faster.

My advice is that if you are white, and chased by a black, head for the water. And if you are black, chased by a white, run clear of the river.

Hold the presses. Jessica Bennett writes in Newsweek that handsome men earn, on average, 5 percent more than their less-attractive counterparts. Good-looking women, 4 percent more. Pretty people get more attention from teachers, bosses and mentors.