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 大象传媒 Radio 4
Episodes to download
-
![]()
Catching Chess Cheats with Data
Sat 8 Oct 2022
A cheating scandal is rocking the world of chess - and data is at its heart
-
![]()
Teens and antidepressants, stamp duty savings and earthquake probabilities
Fri 7 Oct 2022
We debunk a claim that a third of British teenagers have been prescribed antidepressants
-
![]()
NASA鈥檚 asteroid collision: how many asteroids are really out there?
Sat 1 Oct 2022
As NASA rams an asteroid to try and alter its course, how many are yet to be discovered?
-
![]()
Falling pound, the Queen鈥檚 funeral and is 0.5 on the Richter scale a big number?
Wed 28 Sep 2022
How worried should we be about the steep falls in the pound?
-
![]()
Ukraine鈥檚 progress in numbers
Sat 24 Sep 2022
We ask how much progress Ukraine has really made in recapturing territory from Russia.
-
![]()
Ukraine offensive, weak pound & how much do women really exercise
Thu 22 Sep 2022
We ask how much progress Ukraine has really made in recapturing territory from Russia
-
![]()
How bad is fashion for the environment?
Sat 17 Sep 2022
Does fashion really account for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions?
-
![]()
Energy crisis plan, imperial measures survey, gardens v national parks
Wed 14 Sep 2022
How much will the UK government鈥檚 plan to limit energy price rises end up costing?
-
![]()
Is a third of Pakistan really under water?
Sat 10 Sep 2022
We investigate a widely reported claim as Pakistan deals with devastating flooding
-
![]()
Pakistan flooding, UK power prices and Boris鈥檚 broadband claim
Wed 7 Sep 2022
The scale of the disaster is huge, but is a third of Pakistan really under water?
-
![]()
Can we use maths to beat the robots?
Sat 3 Sep 2022
Why improving how we teach and think about maths could help us keep an edge over machines
-
![]()
Energy prices, excess deaths and the race to count to 200
Wed 31 Aug 2022
Is there an easy way to cut soaring energy bills?
-
![]()
Kenya鈥檚 Election Rounding Error
Sat 27 Aug 2022
Official figures didn鈥檛 add up - but due to rounding, not fraud.
-
![]()
The numbers behind 鈥渘atural鈥� birth control
Sat 20 Aug 2022
We examine online claims about the effectiveness of 鈥渘atural鈥� birth control methods
-
![]()
Is opinion polling broken?
Sat 13 Aug 2022
Following some high profile slip-ups in recent US elections, is opinion polling broken?
-
![]()
Debunking the Liverpool FC Conspiracy Theory
Sat 6 Aug 2022
We debunk spurious rumours that Liverpool FC use asthma medication to enhance performance
-
![]()
How our world measures up
Sat 30 Jul 2022
From ancient tally bones to a jar of peanut butter, a look at the history of measurement
-
![]()
Does the World Athletics Championships have a false start problem?
Sat 23 Jul 2022
We examine the rules and tech of false starts after the disqualification of Devon Allen.
-
![]()
Is Uganda about to become a middle income country?
Sat 16 Jul 2022
We assess President Museveni鈥檚 claim that Uganda is nearing a higher economic status.
-
![]()
Does it take 10,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans?
Sat 9 Jul 2022
The numbers behind water use and denim production
-
![]()
How many American women will have an abortion in their lifetime?
Sat 2 Jul 2022
In the wake of the historic overturning of Roe vs Wade, we look at the statistics.
-
![]()
Covid climb, childcare costs and why can鈥檛 the French count properly?
Wed 29 Jun 2022
How accurately are official figures picking up the new covid wave?
-
![]()
Ed Sheeran and the mathematics of musical coincidences
Sat 25 Jun 2022
Ed Sheeran thinks that musical coincidences will always happen鈥� but do the numbers agree?
-
![]()
Rail strikes, tyre pollution and sex statistics
Wed 22 Jun 2022
Do rail workers really earn 拢13,000 a year more than nurses?
-
![]()
-
![]()
Maternity litigation, stars, bees and windowless planes
Wed 15 Jun 2022
Are damages for maternity mistakes now more than wages for maternity nurses and doctors?
-
![]()
Hannah Fry: Understanding the numbers of cancer
Sat 11 Jun 2022
The maths professor on the choices she and others have faced after a cancer diagnosis
-
![]()
Employment puzzle, pyramids and triplets
Wed 8 Jun 2022
The UK has a low unemployment rate but lots of people not working 鈥� how come?
-
![]()
Are girls starting puberty earlier?
Sat 4 Jun 2022
We look into a claim that the age of girls鈥� puberty is falling rapidly
-
![]()
Jubilee costs, fuel poverty and imperial measures
Wed 1 Jun 2022
We debunk a claim the government is spending 拢38,000 per household on the Jubilee
