More or Less: Behind the Stats Podcast
Tim Harford and the More or Less team try to make sense of the statistics which surround us. From ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4
Episodes to download
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How many butterflies are there in the world?
Sat 19 Aug 2023
The world’s butterfly population doesn’t seem to be online – so what is it?
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Why is it so hard to predict the outcome of competitions like the Premier League?
Sat 12 Aug 2023
What variables do we look at when we try to predict the outcome of a sports competition?
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Are the media exaggerating how hot it is in the Mediterranean?
Sat 5 Aug 2023
A look at how accurately media report on the weather – especially recent heatwaves.
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Data, extreme weather and climate change
Sat 29 Jul 2023
The role data plays in climate attribution - and why we don’t always have it
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Ukraine war: A new way of calculating Russian deaths
Sat 22 Jul 2023
How Russian journalists are using probate records to estimate fatalities
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Are more adult nappies sold in Japan than baby ones?
Sat 15 Jul 2023
We examine a claim related to the perception of Japan as an ageing society.
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Does it take 10,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans?
Sat 8 Jul 2023
The numbers behind water use and denim production.
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Immigration: A More or Less Special Programme
Wed 5 Jul 2023
Who is coming to the UK - and how do we count them?
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Will there be just 6 grandchildren for every 100 South Koreans?
Sat 1 Jul 2023
We look at the numbers around South Korea’s birth rate and the reasons why it’s so low.
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Halving inflation, Scottish tidal power and have 1 in 3 women had an abortion?
Wed 28 Jun 2023
Will Rishi Sunak’s pledge to halve inflation happen?
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US National Debt: is $32 trillion a big number?
Sat 24 Jun 2023
How concerned should we be about how much the US government borrows?
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Mortgages, birth rates and does space contribute 18% to UK GDP?
Wed 21 Jun 2023
Who will be most affected by mortgage rate increases?
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Is breastfeeding the key to exam success?
Sat 17 Jun 2023
We look at a new UK study that links being breastfed as a baby with academic achievement.
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Electric vehicles, 600 million bottles and does oral sex cause cancer?
Wed 14 Jun 2023
Is the weight of electric vehicles a risk to infrastructure?
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Lib Dem ambulance claims, affordable rent and goat meat
Wed 7 Jun 2023
Did 120 people a day in England die last year whilst waiting for an ambulance?
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A short history of data
Sat 3 Jun 2023
How the evolution of data over centuries has shaped today’s world
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Food prices, net migration and beef about beef
Wed 31 May 2023
Does Britain really have the most affordable food in Europe?
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NHS waiting lists, Voter ID and measuring divorce
Wed 24 May 2023
Why a fall in those waiting longest for treatment in England isn't telling the whole story
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Detecting Bad Science with Data
Sat 20 May 2023
Uncovering fraud, malpractice and incompetence in science
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Do 94% of marriages in Portugal really end in divorce?
Sat 13 May 2023
We examine a social media post that claims to outline rates of divorce across the world.
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Why is life expectancy falling in the USA?
Sat 6 May 2023
We ask why average life expectancy in America is falling so quickly.
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How much is the Coronation crown worth?
Sat 29 Apr 2023
King Charles will be anointed with St Edward’s Crown – but what’s its true value?
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The Pentagon Leaks and Fox News
Sat 22 Apr 2023
Why did Tucker Carlson say far more Ukrainian troops than Russian are dying in the war?
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How accurate is baby's due date?
Sat 15 Apr 2023
This week we investigate how a baby's due date is calculated
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How to better understand and explain numbers
Sat 8 Apr 2023
Professor Oliver Johnson discusses the use of statistics in the pandemic and in life.
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A groundbreaking new proof for Pythagoras’ Theorem?
Sat 1 Apr 2023
Two high school students say they’ve discovered a new trigonometric proof for the theorem
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Covid vaccines and false claims about miscarriage
Sat 25 Mar 2023
We debunk viral claims that incorrectly link covid-19 vaccines with a risk of miscarriage
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Do fungi kill three times as many people as malaria?
Sat 11 Mar 2023
We investigate the claim that fungal infections are a much bigger killer than malaria.