David Sumpter describes the algorithms ruling the world Read more
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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鈥檚 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.
The truth about obesity and Covid-19
Are countries with higher obesity rates suffering from more deaths?
Deciding when to suspend a vaccine
Weighing up the risk of unproven side effects with stopping Covid-19
In praise of Covid Data
How we came to expect dashboards full of statistics.
Too fast for Minecraft?
Gamers raise suspicions over speed run times - are they right?
Clot risks: The Pill versus the vaccine
AstraZeneca鈥檚 clot controversy turns attention on the contraceptive pill.
How many swimming pools full of vaccine do we need
Adding together the doses for everyone on the planet.
Will 2021 have more Covid deaths than 2020?
We ask if this year鈥檚 global death toll will surpass 1.8 million.
Bayes: the clergyman whose maths changed the world
How an obscure theory came into fashion.
Finding Mexico City鈥檚 real death toll
How two data detectives revealed the pandemic鈥檚 impact.
Explaining maths without Numbers
Tim Harford speaks to mathematician Milo Beckman.
The medical trial that proved Trump wrong
The Recovery Trial identified drugs that helped save lives.
The Seaspiracy 鈥渧irtually empty ocean鈥 claim
Why it鈥檚 unlikely our oceans will be virtually empty by 2048.
Wales Vaccine Success
How to distribute jabs efficiently; plus adding 28 to 47
The doubling of life-expectancy
The story of how data helped extend our lives
The origins of Covid
How similar are the Covid strains?
Maths and the Mayflower
Are there really 35 million descendants of the Mayflower alive today?
Is Ivermectin a Covid 鈥榳onder drug鈥?
What do we know about the efficacy of Ivermectin as a treatment for Covid-19?
Are there 40 million Nigerians on Twitter?
Recent reports have claimed that Nigeria has 40 million Twitter users 鈥 but is this true?
Long Covid and Vaccinating Children
The world watches as the UK lifts its remaining Covid restrictions
The Rise of Delta
Where鈥檚 this new Variant spreading and what can be done to stop it?
Breaking climate records
The odds and probability behind record-breaking temperatures
Jab fears explained: a base rate fallacy
Why increasing Covid infections amongst the vaccinated isn鈥檛 necessarily bad news.