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Numbers of the Year Part Two

Helena Merriman with numbers about water shortage, plastic recycling and American jobs

• 9 mins

The Mathematics of Fever

We look at the numbers behind body temperature – what is normal?

• 9 mins

Close Encounters of a Planetary Kind

Which planet is closest to Earth?

• 9 mins

Is Suicide Seasonal?

Tim Harford asks which times of the year are riskiest for suicide.

• 9 mins

You Have 15,000 Likes!

When listener Helen got 15,000 likes on Tinder she questioned the stats behind swiping

• 9 mins

Hyperinflation in Venezuela

Tim Harford on the astonishing speed of price rises in Venezuela; teenagers’ screen use

• 9 mins

When maths mistakes really matter

Tim Harford talks to Matt Parker about how simple maths mistakes can cause big problems.

• 9 mins

How to make your artwork more valuable

Six top tips on how to get the best price for your art

• 9 mins

Insectageddon

Could insects go extinct in one hundred years?

• 9 mins

The gender gap in tech

Are women really less likely than men to be hired for jobs in tech?

• 9 mins

Daylight saving time and heart attacks

Does the sudden loss of an hour of sleep raise the risk of having a heart attack?

• 9 mins

Is Mansa Musa the richest person of all time?

Is the West African king, Mansa Musa, the richest person who ever lived?

• 9 mins

Chess cheats and the GOAT

What a statistical analysis of chess moves can teach us about this ancient game.

• 9 mins

Rounding up the weed killer cancer conundrum

We examine the cancer-causing potential of the weed killer glyphosate

• 9 mins

Where is Scotland’s highest village?

A battle is brewing in the Southern Scottish uplands between two rival villages.

• 9 mins

The economic impact of mega sporting events

Major sports events and the benefits to the local economy.

• 9 mins

Bernie Sanders and the cost of having a baby

Did Bernie Sanders get the cost of giving birth right?

• 9 mins

Avengers - Should we reverse the snap?

Exploring the economic impact of losing half the world’s population

• 9 mins

Sex Recession

US and British surveys show people are having less sex than in the past.

• 9 mins

Making music out of money

A musical interpretation of a chart depicting the yield-curve of American bonds.

• 9 mins

Florence Nightingale – recognising the nurse statistician

How collecting data about the dead led the famous nurse to promote better sanitation.

• 9 mins

Volcanoes versus humans

Does Mount Etna produce more carbon emissions than humans? We check the numbers.

• 9 mins

The things we fail to see

The hidden influences that make a big difference to the way the world works

• 9 mins

Dealing with the numbers of cancer

How one woman used statistics to help cope with cancer

• 9 mins

Are married women flipping miserable?

Questioning the claim that unmarried women without children are the happiest

• 9 mins

Questioning the Chernobyl disaster death count

We fact check the recent TV drama Chernobyl

• 9 mins

Is nuclear power actually safer than you think?

We compare how deadly different forms of power generation are.

• 9 mins

Zimbabwe’s economy: Are sanctions to blame?

We look at politicians’ claims that sanctions are to blame for Zimbabwe’s difficulties.

• 9 mins

Missing women from drug trials

How medical testing on just men causes problems.

• 9 mins

Pregnancy prohibitions – the evidence

Taking a statistical look at what expectant mothers should avoid

• 9 mins