*[Enwl-eng] Could work be kinder to our bodies?
enwl
 Could work be kinder to our bodies?In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, I woke up from a flare-up from my autoimmune illness, the little known but increasingly studied mast-cell activation syndrome (MCAS). Spasms rippled through my lower body, in a now tedious ritual that has been all too well rehearsed over the past years. The worst of the symptoms always strikes at night. During the day, unless you picked up on my occasionally flagging energy, you wouldn't know that I suffer from a health condition. That's partly because I'm lucky enough to have an understanding employer that allows me to start and finish my job later, more in tune with my body's rhythms. Could these types of personal arrangements be the future of work? As we return to our offices after the summer break, companies are thinking about how they can best adapt to our bodies and minds to maximise productivity. Marie-Rachel Jacob, an expert in management science who grappled with a pregnancy-related health condition herself, examines how organisations could better work with those with chronic conditions, as well as the "neurodiverse", including early birds and night owls. In a related piece, Audrey Tautou looks at the science behind our body clocks, with genes playing the role of the ultimate tempo setters. The double helix also provides precious clues to researchers seeking to know more about our distant ancestors. Based on DNA analysis, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany recently determined that Europe's oldest mummy, the 5,300-year-old Ötzi the iceman, may have had dark skin and been balding. This isn't the first study that attempts to determine a person's appearance based on remains – when the bones of King Richard III, the inspiration of Shakespeare's eponymous play, were discovered under a parking lot in Leceister, the extracted DNA was enough to match with descriptions of his hair and eyes. But how reliable are these predictions? No doubt that many of Spain's women would like to see the country's football chief, Luis Rubiales, under a car park or deep into the ice this week. Celebrations of the national team's win at the FIFA Women's World Cup were overshadowed by his behaviour after he kissed one of his players without consent and made obscene gestures during the match. Miren Gutiérrez of the University of Deusto analyses Rubiales's speech and finds that it bears all the hallmarks of a man resisting feminist change. Also in our highlights this week is an article remembering the French philosopher Marc Augé, who devoted his life to thinking the city and the concept of the "non-place" – the spaces through which we traditionally transit, such as subways, gas stations and airports. Should you wish to sit down over a drink to contemplate them in a renewed light, be wary to use any straw, however. While the plastic ones are a known blight on the environment, the latest research shows that the "eco-friendly" varieties made from paper and bamboo contain potentially dangerous chemicals. – Natalie Sauer, head of the English section for The Conversation France  Menstrual leave, neurodiversity, chronic illnesses: what if workplaces adapted to our bodies?Should companies offer tailored timetables and workplaces on the basis of our different bodies, or are universal solutions, such as the four-day week, the way forward? Was this email
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