Obesity and poker

Tim Harford looks at Covid-19 and obesity. Plus, what poker teaches us about statistics.

• 9 mins

Is Trump right about blood plasma therapy?

Is convalescent plasma therapy effective for treating Covid-19?

• 9 mins

Breast cancer screening

Could screening for breast cancer from the age of 40 save lives?

• 9 mins

Sex workers in the 18th century and jellyfish

Did one in five women in 18th century London made a living selling sex?

• 9 mins

The magical maths of pool testing

Could pool testing hold the key to ramping up Covid-19 testing?

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Caffeine and pregnancy

Do coffee and pregnancy mix?

• 9 mins

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.

• 9 mins

A short history of probability

Gamblers, millionaires and annuities

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Auction Theory - Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson

This year’s Nobel memorial prize winners for economics and their work on auction theory.

• 9 mins

US election: facts or fiction

Tim Harford hears about the sheer volume of false claims made in the campaign.

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Asymptomatic Covid-19 cases

How many Covid-19 cases are truly asymptomatic?

• 9 mins

How deadly is Covid 19?

Why there isn’t one single death rate.

• 9 mins

Vaccine numbers

How much protection will a new Covid-19 vaccine give?

• 9 mins

Inviting Covid for Dinner

If you go to a gathering of 25 people, what are the chances one of you has coronavirus?

• 9 mins

Tracking Covid 19

Which countries are doing well at keeping track of the virus?

• 9 mins

Vaccines: How safe and who gets it?

Is it too soon to approve for use? Plus choosing who goes first.

• 9 mins

QAnon: Child runaways and trafficking numbers debunked

Tackling statistics spread by conspiracy theorists.

• 9 mins

The economics of a Covid Christmas

What to consider when buying presents this year

• 9 mins

Numbers of the year: Part one

Tim Harford showcases statistics from 2020

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Numbers of the year: Part two

Tim Harford showcases statistics from 2020

• 9 mins

Ants and Algorithms

David Sumpter describes the algorithms ruling the world

• 9 mins

How effective is one Covid vaccine dose?

Calculating the protection given by the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine

• 9 mins

Counting Covid’s impact on GDP

Which countries have done worse, and what can GDP tell us?

• 9 mins

The rapid test row

The huge row among scientists about rapid coronavirus tests.

• 9 mins

Glasgow vs Rwanda

Could life expectancy in some parts of Glasgow be worse than in Rwanda?

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How much Covid in the world?

Counting all the virus particles in every human on the planet.

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Covid 19 death count: Which countries are faring worst?

Tim Harford finds out if we can trust international comparisons with the available data.

• 9 mins

Why are US Covid cases falling?

From herd immunity to the weather, Tim Harford explores the theories

• 9 mins

Sainthood and Cup draws

Your chances of becoming a saint, plus football odds.

• 9 mins

The truth about obesity and Covid-19

Are countries with higher obesity rates suffering from more deaths?

• 9 mins