Men with longer ring fingers are at lower risk of dying from coronavirus, according to new research. Male foetuses who are exposed to higher levels of testosterone while in the womb tend to grow longer ring fingers, and the hormone is now believed to help the body fight off Covid-19.
A recent study of 200,000 people in 41 countries found male death rates were a third higher in countries where men tended to have shorter ring fingers.
Prof John Manning of Swansea University, an evolutionary biologist who pioneered research into how finger length relates to hormones, says the findings may give Australia, New Zealand, Austria and countries in East Asia a "biological advantage" in the fight against coronavirus.