More or Less Podcast
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.
Episodes to download
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Maths and the Mayflower
Sat 26 Jun 2021
Are there really 35 million descendants of the Mayflower alive today?
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Delta cases, blue tits and that one-in-two cancer claim
Wed 23 Jun 2021
Should we worry about the Delta variant? Plus how much do blue tits eat?
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Covid deaths, outdoor swimming and care homes
Wed 16 Jun 2021
The global death toll has reached a grim milestone. Plus the UK’s low ranking waters.
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Third wave fears, smart motorways and bra sizes
Wed 9 Jun 2021
Should we worry about Covid cases rising? Plus are smart motorways safe?
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Bolton vaccines, Yorkshire versus Scotland and the average gamer
Wed 2 Jun 2021
Were tens of thousands of people getting their jab in Bolton every single day?
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The Seaspiracy “virtually empty ocean” claim
Sat 29 May 2021
Why it’s unlikely our oceans will be virtually empty by 2048.
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The Seaspiracy “virtually empty ocean” claim
Sat 29 May 2021
Why it’s unlikely our oceans will be virtually empty by 2048.
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Wales jab success, Eurovision and living with your parents
Wed 26 May 2021
How to vaccinate a country quickly, plus the UK’s singing contest woes.
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The medical trial that proved Trump wrong
Sat 22 May 2021
The Recovery Trial identified drugs that helped save lives.
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The medical trial that proved Trump wrong
Sat 22 May 2021
The Recovery Trial identified drugs that did and did not help save lives.
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Explaining maths without Numbers
Sat 15 May 2021
Tim Harford speaks to mathematician Milo Beckman about the beauty of maths.
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Finding Mexico City’s real death toll
Sat 8 May 2021
How two data detectives revealed the pandemic’s impact.
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Finding Mexico City’s real death toll
Sat 8 May 2021
How two amateur data detectives revealed the pandemic’s impact.
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Bayes: the clergyman whose maths changed the world
Sun 2 May 2021
How an obscure theory came into fashion.
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Bayes: the clergyman whose maths changed the world
Sat 1 May 2021
How an obscure theory came into fashion.
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Will 2021 have more Covid deaths than 2020?
Sat 24 Apr 2021
We ask if this year’s global death toll will surpass 1.8 million.
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Will 2021 have more Covid deaths than 2020?
Sat 24 Apr 2021
We ask if this year’s global death toll will surpass 1.8 million.
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How many swimming pools full of vaccine do we need
Sat 17 Apr 2021
Adding together the doses for everyone on the planet.
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How many swimming pools full of vaccine do we need?
Sat 17 Apr 2021
Adding together the doses for everyone on the planet.
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Clot risks: The Pill versus the vaccine
Sat 10 Apr 2021
AstraZeneca’s clot controversy turns attention on the contraceptive pill.
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Clot risks: The Pill versus the vaccine
Sat 10 Apr 2021
AstraZeneca’s clot controversy turns attention on the contraceptive pill.
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Too fast for Minecraft?
Sun 4 Apr 2021
Gamers raise suspicions over speed run times - are they right?
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Too fast for Minecraft?
Sat 3 Apr 2021
Gamers raise suspicions over speed run times - are they right?
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Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU
Explore how numbers shape, and sometimes mislead us, with The Open University.
When can you trust statistics?
BBC Ideas discovers three easy ways to help make sense of statistics.
