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Unfortunately, sometimes so are steroids. For decades, athletes have used anabolic (meaning muscle-building) steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to build strength and endurance. And those drugs are getting more and more sophisticated in an effort to evade detection. Doping, as the practice is called, is illegal and, by most people's standards, unethical. Athletes who have been caught using these drugs have been stripped of their Olympic medals and world records and banned from their sports, sometimes for years, and on occasions for a lifetime.

"There are rights and wrongs in life, and if it's against the rules, it's cheating to do it," says Wiese-Bjornstal. "I love sports, but some athletes treat elite sports as if they are life itself, more important than their health, their loved ones, and even their lives."

In addition, steroids mess with your body. Potential side effects include high blood pressure, strokes, nausea, sleep problems, increased aggressiveness, and severe mood swings. In men, steroids can reduce sperm count and cause impotence, breast growth, and shrunken testicles. In women, side effects can include reduced breast size, increased body and facial hair, a deepened voice, and menstrual problems.

With the risks and consequences of steroid use so high, why do some athletes continue to dope?

"The major underlying factor [with steroids use] is that winning at all costs is the most important thing," says Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology.

She says that athletes that use steroids often have the mindset that "they are demonstrating that they are as highly committed to their sport as they can be and are doing whatever it takes to prove to themselves, their coaches, and to the world that they are true athletes who will do anything to win."

From a moral and ethical framework, Wiese-Bjornstal believes this is twisted thinking. "There are rights and wrongs in life, and if it's against the rules, it's cheating to do it," she says. "I love sports, but some athletes treat elite sports as if they are life itself, more important than their health, their loved ones, and even their lives."

She also says there is pressure to dope because of the belief that everyone else is doing it, and that if an athlete wants to compete at the highest level, she or he has to do it, too.

Nancy Cullen, a sports psychology consultant for the University, says the temptation to use steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs simply comes down to the rigors and pressure of elite competition and the desire to win. She cites an alarming poll taken in 1995 of 198 sprinters, swimmers, power lifters and others, most of whom were Olympians or aspiring Olympians. The poll asked if the athletes would take a banned performance-enhancing substance if they knew if would help them win and they wouldn't be caught--195 responded, yes.

Most athletes train for perfection," says Cullen. "The drive to achieve and win is so strong. If the difference between winning or losing is a hundredth of a second, and there is a drug that might give you the edge, the temptation can be great."

For some Olympic events, steroid scandals have cast a pall over the games, leaving viewers to wonder after each win, "Did he take drugs? Did she?"

Both Wiese-Bjornstal and Cullen agree that education, beginning with young athletes, is important in the fight against steroid use, as are drug testing and stiffer penalties for those who are caught. They also believe that coaches and parents play an important role in supporting the healthy ambitions of developing athletes.

"It's important to teach athletes to know what the consequences are and to learn other training practices that are legal and don't involve taking drugs," says Cullen. "Strive to win, strive for perfection, but do it within the rules of the game."

Another method for improving oxygen concentration is blood doping -- infusing whole blood into an athlete. An athlete who infuses his own blood may cause infection or cardiovascular problems because of the increased blood volume (high blood pressure, blood clots, heart failure and stroke). An athlete who uses someone else's blood runs the risk of acquiring viral infections such as HIV/AIDS. These are huge risks for a result that can also be achieved by training at high altitudes.

In addition to taking drugs that build mass and strength, some athletes take drugs and engage in practices that increase the amount of oxygen in tissues. Endurance athletes, like cyclists or cross-country skiers, may use Erythropoietin (EPO). EPO can increase an athlete's oxygen supply by as much as seven to 10 percent. As mentioned earlier, EPO is extremely dangerous, if not deadly in some cases. The increased red cell density caused by EPO can thicken the blood. The thickened blood -- which is more like honey than water -- cannot flow through the blood vessels well. To pump the thickened blood, the heart must work harder. This increases the chances of heart attack and stroke.

Athletes looking to build mass may also abuse Human Growth Hormone (hGH). Excessive hGH levels increase muscle mass by stimulating protein synthesis, strengthen bones by stimulating bone growth and reduce body fat by stimulating the breakdown of fat cells. Use of hGH has become increasingly popular because it is difficult to detect. Side effects include overgrowth of hands, feet, and face (known as acromegaly), enlarged internal organs, especially heart, kidneys, tongue and liver and heart problems.

Athletes use anabolic steroids to increase muscle strength. Anabolic steroids, which can be injected or taken as pills, allow the athlete to train harder and longer at any given period. The possible and well-known side effects of anabolic steroid use include jaundice and liver damage, mood swings, depression and aggression. Men may also suffer from baldness, infertility and breast development. Females may grow excessive hair on the face and body and suffer from infertility. The substances Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), Luteinizing Hormone (LH) may also produce the same side effects.

25 years or more.

six small areas located in inland China

fifteen different kinds of Bamboo

12 to 16 hours a day

22 to 40 pounds of Bamboo each day

sold for $100,000 dollars.

pink when they are born.

1,000 individuals in the wild.

110 pandas in captivity

20 and 40 lbs of food per day

16 hours eating

eat other plants, fish, pika and other small rodents.

danger of extinction.

do not hibernate

born they are blind and very small

3 to 4 1/2 ounces

start out with fine white fur

colored fur within a month of birth

eating bamboo by the time they are 5 to 6 months

one year of age, the cubs normally weigh about 75 pounds of bamboo

Female giant panda bears do not normally mature until they are 5 to 7 years

Mating begins in late-March and continues on into May

Females may mate with several males during the breeding season

The capacity to learn, remember, and symbolize information, and to solve problems, exists at a simple level in young infants, who can perform cognitive tasks such as discriminating animate and inanimate beings or recognizing small numbers of objects

Newborn infants do not seem to experience fear or have preferences for contact with any specific people.By about 8-10 months, they go through a fairly rapid change and become fearful of perceived threats; they also begin to prefer familiar people and show anxiety and distress when separated from them or approached by strangers

Dyslexia is a significant topic in child development as it affects approximately 5% of the population (in the western world). Essentially it is a disorder whereby children fail to attain the language skills of reading, writing and spelling commensurate with their intellectual abilities.

Classical conditioning is a technique used in behavioral training in which a naturally occurring stimulus is paired with a response

method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior

based upon observable behaviors, so it is easier to quantify and collect data and information when conducting research.