大象传媒

How to better understand and explain numbers

Professor Oliver Johnson discusses the use of statistics in the pandemic and in life.

• 9 mins

How accurate is baby's due date?

This week we investigate how a baby's due date is calculated

• 9 mins

The Pentagon leaks and Fox News

Why did Tucker Carlson say far more Ukrainian troops than Russian are dying in the war?

• 9 mins

How much is the Coronation crown worth?

King Charles will be anointed with the St Edward鈥檚 Crown 鈥� but what is its true value?

• 9 mins

Why is life expectancy falling in the USA?

We ask why average life expectancy in America is falling so quickly.

• 9 mins

Do 94% of marriages in Portugal really end in divorce?

We examine a social media post that claims to outline rates of divorce across the world.

• 9 mins

Detecting bad science with data

Uncovering fraud, malpractice and incompetence in science

• 9 mins

Are young people more single than ever before?

How to define and measure being single 鈥� and are dating apps to blame?

• 9 mins

A short history of data

How the evolution of data over centuries has shaped today鈥檚 world

• 9 mins

Counting Hunger in India

Is it true that hunger has worsened in India?

• 9 mins

Is breastfeeding the key to exam success?

We look at a new UK study that links being breastfed as a baby with academic achievement.

• 9 mins

US national debt: Is $32 trillion a big number?

How concerned should we be about how much the US government borrows?

• 9 mins

Will there be just six grandchildren for every 100 South Koreans?

We look at the numbers around South Korea鈥檚 birth rate and the reasons why it鈥檚 so low.

• 9 mins

Does it take 10,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans?

The numbers behind water use and denim production.

• 9 mins

Are more adult nappies sold in Japan than baby ones?

We examine a claim related to the perception of Japan as an ageing society.

• 9 mins

Ukraine war: A new way of calculating Russian deaths

How Russian journalists are using probate records to estimate fatalities

• 9 mins

Data, extreme weather and climate change

The role data plays in climate attribution - and why we don鈥檛 always have it

• 9 mins

Are the media exaggerating how hot it is in the Mediterranean?

A look at how accurately media report on the weather 鈥� especially recent heatwaves.

• 9 mins

Why is it so hard to predict the outcome of competitions like the Premier League?

What variables do we look at when we try to predict the outcome of a sports competition?

• 9 mins

How many butterflies are there in the world?

The world鈥檚 butterfly population doesn鈥檛 seem to be online 鈥� so what is it?

• 9 mins

How safe is the release of Fukushima nuclear plant water?

We ask whether there are any risks posed by the release into the Pacific Ocean

• 9 mins

What percentage of our brain do we actually use?

Do we have access to some or all of our brain-power?

• 9 mins

Did 35,000 Americans die building the Panama Canal?

We fact check a claim made by Donald Trump about the world famous canal

• 9 mins

How to approach the world through numbers

Professor David Sumpter talks to Tim Harford about his new book

• 9 mins

Which city has the longest canals?

We dive into the world of waterways after a listener asked who has the longest canals.

• 9 mins

Is the UK really ahead in cutting carbon emissions?

As the UK changes course in its path to net zero, how does it compare with other nations?

• 9 mins

Are half the words in English from French?

We ask whether almost half the words in the English language are of French origin.

• 9 mins

Greedy jobs and the gender pay gap

Tim Harford discusses the work of Nobel Economics prize winner Claudia Goldin

• 9 mins

What do windscreen splats tell us about insect decline?

We ask whether the 鈥榳indscreen phenomenon鈥� suggests falling numbers of insects

• 9 mins

The overlooked mathematicians of history

A global history of mathematics, from ancient China to the Middle East

• 9 mins