News
If all the ice in Antarctica melted, would global sea levels rise by 70 metres? Read more
now playing
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.
QAnon: Child runaways and trafficking numbers debunked
Tackling statistics spread by conspiracy theorists.
The economics of a Covid Christmas
What to consider when buying presents this year
Numbers of the year: Part one
Tim Harford showcases statistics from 2020
Numbers of the year: Part two
Ants and Algorithms
David Sumpter describes the algorithms ruling the world
How effective is one Covid vaccine dose?
Calculating the protection given by the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine
Counting Covid’s impact on GDP
Which countries have done worse, and what can GDP tell us?
The rapid test row
The huge row among scientists about rapid coronavirus tests.
Glasgow vs Rwanda
Could life expectancy in some parts of Glasgow be worse than in Rwanda?
How much Covid in the world?
Counting all the virus particles in every human on the planet.
Covid 19 death count: Which countries are faring worst?
Tim Harford finds out if we can trust international comparisons with the available data.
Why are US Covid cases falling?
From herd immunity to the weather, Tim Harford explores the theories
Sainthood and Cup draws
Your chances of becoming a saint, plus football odds.
