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Why don't we know how dangerous Covid -19 really is? Read more
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Covid-19 fatality rate
Why don't we know how dangerous Covid -19 really is?
Social distancing and government borrowing
Where do the different social distancing measurements come from?
60 Harvests and statistically savvy parrots
Can there really only be 60 harvests left in Earth's soil?
Coronavirus baby boom and vitamin D
Are we going to have a coronavirus baby boom?
Keep your distance
Tim Harford examines how can we avoid infection spreading, while getting on with life.
Spanish coronavirus figures and pangolins
Are pangolins the most trafficked animal in the world?
Who should be quarantined?
Tim Harford finds out which countries have the highest rate of Covid-19 infection.
A new Covid-19 drug and a second wave
Tim Harford looks into why protests haven’t led to a spike in Covid-19 cases
Why Trump is wrong about the USA’s coronavirus case comeback
The data behind the rise in coronavirus cases in the US
Sweden’s lockdown lite
Sweden stayed open during the pandemic – how well did it work?
Covid misconceptions and US deaths
How many of us believe the myths about coronavirus?
Data in the time of cholera
A journey back to the birth of epidemiology
Covid in Africa
Do we have enough data to know what’s happening on the continent?
Melting Antarctic ice
If all the ice in Antarctica melted, would global sea levels rise by 70 metres?
Belarus’ contested election
Tim Harford looks at the numbers behind the widely questioned election result
Obesity and poker
Tim Harford looks at Covid-19 and obesity. Plus, what poker teaches us about statistics.
Is Trump right about blood plasma therapy?
Is convalescent plasma therapy effective for treating Covid-19?
Breast cancer screening
Could screening for breast cancer from the age of 40 save lives?
Sex workers in the 18th century and jellyfish
Did one in five women in 18th century London made a living selling sex?
The magical maths of pool testing
Could pool testing hold the key to ramping up Covid-19 testing?
Caffeine and pregnancy
Do coffee and pregnancy mix?
Trump’s misleading 'fact' about the Covid-19 death count in the US
We examine a suspect stat from the US and an eye-popping claim about volumising mascara.
A short history of probability
Gamblers, millionaires and annuities
Auction Theory - Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson
This year’s Nobel memorial prize winners for economics and their work on auction theory.
US election: facts or fiction
Tim Harford hears about the sheer volume of false claims made in the campaign.
Asymptomatic Covid-19 cases
How many Covid-19 cases are truly asymptomatic?
How deadly is Covid 19?
Why there isn’t one single death rate.
Vaccine numbers
How much protection will a new Covid-19 vaccine give?
Inviting Covid for Dinner
If you go to a gathering of 25 people, what are the chances one of you has coronavirus?
Tracking Covid 19
Which countries are doing well at keeping track of the virus?
Vaccines: How safe and who gets it?
Is it too soon to approve for use? Plus choosing who goes first.