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Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life.

Radio 4,685 episodes

Episodes

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The Rise of Delta
Where’s this new Variant spreading and what can be done to stop it?
24 Jul 2021,8 mins
The Freedom Day Gamble
Tim Harford and the team try to work out how long Covid cases will continue to rise.
19 Jul 2021,28 mins
Are there 40 million Nigerians on Twitter?
Recent reports have claimed that Nigeria has 40 million Twitter users – but is this true?
10 Jul 2021,8 mins
Is Ivermectin a Covid ‘wonder drug’?
What do we know about the efficacy of Ivermectin as a treatment for Covid-19?
03 Jul 2021,8 mins
Scotland cases, flood risk and taxing the poor
Covid 19 cases are on the rise in Scotland, plus will your town be under water by 2030?
30 Jun 2021,28 mins
Maths and the Mayflower
Are there really 35 million descendants of the Mayflower alive today?
26 Jun 2021,8 mins
Delta cases, blue tits and that one-in-two cancer claim
Should we worry about the Delta variant? Plus how much do blue tits eat?
23 Jun 2021,29 mins
The origins of Covid
How similar are the Covid strains?
19 Jun 2021,8 mins
Covid deaths, outdoor swimming and care homes
The global death toll has reached a grim milestone. Plus the UK’s low ranking waters.
16 Jun 2021,28 mins
The doubling of life-expectancy
The story of how data helped extend our lives
12 Jun 2021,8 mins
Third wave fears, smart motorways and bra sizes
Should we worry about Covid cases rising? Plus are smart motorways safe?
09 Jun 2021,28 mins
Bolton vaccines, Yorkshire versus Scotland and the average gamer
Were tens of thousands of people getting their jab in Bolton every single day?
02 Jun 2021,28 mins
The Seaspiracy “virtually empty ocean” claim
Why it’s unlikely our oceans will be virtually empty by 2048.
29 May 2021,8 mins
Wales jab success, Eurovision and living with your parents
How to vaccinate a country quickly, plus the UK’s singing contest woes.
26 May 2021,28 mins
The medical trial that proved Trump wrong
The Recovery Trial identified drugs that did and did not help save lives.
22 May 2021,8 mins
Explaining maths without Numbers
Tim Harford speaks to mathematician Milo Beckman about the beauty of maths.
15 May 2021,8 mins
Finding Mexico City’s real death toll
How two amateur data detectives revealed the pandemic’s impact.
08 May 2021,8 mins
Bayes: the clergyman whose maths changed the world
How an obscure theory came into fashion.
02 May 2021,8 mins
Will 2021 have more Covid deaths than 2020?
We ask if this year’s global death toll will surpass 1.8 million.
24 Apr 2021,8 mins
How many swimming pools full of vaccine do we need?
Adding together the doses for everyone on the planet.
17 Apr 2021,8 mins
Clot risks: The Pill versus the vaccine
AstraZeneca’s clot controversy turns attention on the contraceptive pill.
10 Apr 2021,8 mins
Too fast for Minecraft?
Gamers raise suspicions over speed run times - are they right?
04 Apr 2021,9 mins
In praise of Covid Data
How we came to expect dashboards full of statistics.
27 Mar 2021,8 mins
Deciding when to suspend a vaccine
Weighing up the risk of unproven side effects with stopping Covid 19.
20 Mar 2021,8 mins
The truth about obesity and Covid 19
Are countries with higher obesity rates suffering from more deaths?
13 Mar 2021,8 mins
Sainthood and Cup draws
Your chances of becoming a saint, plus football odds.
06 Mar 2021,8 mins
Why are US Covid cases falling?
From herd immunity to the weather, Tim Harford explores the theories.
27 Feb 2021,8 mins
Covid 19 death count: which countries are faring worst?
Tim Harford finds out if we can trust international comparisons with the available data.
20 Feb 2021,8 mins
Comparing death counts, Lock Down drinking and Long Covid
Is the UK’s Covid 19 death count among the worst in the world? Plus are we drinking more?
17 Feb 2021,28 mins
How much Covid in the World?
Counting all the virus particles in every human on the planet.
13 Feb 2021,8 mins