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The shock news that the US president, Donald Trump, has tested positive for COVID-19, and has been taken to hospital, just a few weeks ahead of the US election adds another layer of uncertainty to a race that has already been exhausting for everyone concerned. We don’t yet know how serious this could get, but Trump is in a high-risk category. And whatever happens from here, this latest twist will inevitably change the shape of the campaign. Here
are a few reasons why.
Trump is not the first world leader to downplay the seriousness of this disease only to subsequently find himself infected with it. The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, has been open about the fact that his trip to intensive care made him realise how unhealthy he was and prompted radical life changes. And although Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s brush with coronavirus hasn’t exactly proved an epiphany, he has exhibited some different behaviours since his illness. So what lessons can be learned in Washington?
The London marathon will take place tomorrow, after a bit of a pandemic-related delay. The event is going to look a little different this year, with a changed course and only professional athletes taking part. The lack of amateur competitors is a huge shame but it will nevertheless make this race a unique spectacle. Ahead of the competition, this expert in physiology reveals what makes the bodies of elite sportspeople so different.
We generally understand folklore as already written – as the stories and rituals of distant people who lived long ago. But what if we’re creating the folklore of the future at this very moment? Throughout lockdown, small acts of expression sprang up in our neighbourhoods, including painted stones and scarecrows dressed up as keyworkers. It’s nice to think of people hundreds of years from now perhaps hanging pictures of rainbows in their windows “just like they did in the olden days of 2020”. This list of rituals that spread during the pandemic proposes a few that might end up lasting through the ages to become the folklore of tomorrow.
Also this week, we’ve settled a bitter dispute over milk, explored the economics of failing football teams and geared up for some resistance training.
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Laura Hood
Politics Editor, Assistant Editor
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COVID-positive.
Stefan Rousseau/PA Archive
Matthew Flinders, University of Sheffield; Anthony Pereira, King's College London
How did the British prime minister and Brazilian president's brush with COVID-19 affect them politically?
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EPA-EFE
Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, University of Oxford
Age, obesity and being male all increase the risk of COVID, but being wealthy is a protective factor.
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London Marathon winners, 2019, Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei.
Facundo Arrizabalaga/Shutterstock
Andy Galbraith, University of East London
Here's how elite endurance athletes differ from the rest of us.
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Andrew Robinson
Sophie Parkes-Nield, Sheffield Hallam University
Folklore isn't a whimsical fancy - it's happening all around us all the time.
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Shutterstock
Leah Dowling, Swinburne University of Technology
There are so many milk alternatives these days, but it can be difficult to tell how beneficial they might be for our health. So we asked a dietitian to run through the main options.
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The more muscle you build, the more calories you body requires at rest.
Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock
David R Clark, Liverpool John Moores University; Carl Langan-Evans, Liverpool John Moores University; Robert M. Erskine, Liverpool John Moores University
Workouts that include weight lifting and bodyweight exercises burn fat both during and afterwards.
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Tanya Wyatt, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Environmental activists have been advocating for piecemeal legal change for decades. But a more fundamental rewrite of the law is needed.
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Tess Newton Cain, Griffith University
A similar 2018 referendum failed, but was much closer than anticipated. Some believe independence might pass this time around, particularly with the issue not high on France's list of priorities.
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Helen Higson, Aston University
Students can still have a good experience at university this year – if universities take their needs and concerns seriously.
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David Rothery, The Open University
New findings boost chances of finding life on Mars, but there are better candidates in the solar system.
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Christian Yates, University of Bath
The latest REACT study provides some reassurance, but there is significant uncertainty in the numbers.
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James Reade, University of Reading
To thrive commercially, sports teams need competition. Multiple leagues is the best way to achieve this.
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Featured events
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Swansea University , Singleton Park, Swansea, Swansea [Abertawe GB-ATA], SA3 3DX, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Swansea University
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Lecture Theatre 1, Richmond Building, Portland Street, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 3DE, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Portsmouth
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Online, Online, Birmingham, online, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Birmingham
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Online event, Online event, Birmingham, Online event, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Birmingham
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