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Fishy numbers?
Will there be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050?
When £10,000 isn’t a good incentive
Could no prize have been a better way to motivate snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan?
Antibiotics and the Problem of the Broken Market
The world needs new antibiotics so how do we entice big pharmaceuticals back in?
Fact checking The Big Short
Is it true that “every one percent unemployment goes up, 40,000 people die"?
Can We Trust Food Surveys?
The pitfalls of nutrition science - how do really know what people are eating?
Mobiles or lightbulbs
Are there more mobile phones than lightbulbs in Uganda? And thyroid cancer in Fukushima.
Safe Drinking
UK Alcohol guidelines recommend drinking less – but do the numbers support them?
The Great EU Cabbage Myth
Does the European Union dedicate 26,911 words to cabbage regulation?
The story of average
How astronomers introduced the world to the average.
The Life Expectancy of a Pope
Statistics show that the Head of the Catholic Church can expect to live to an old age
Most Expensive Building
How much to build The Great Pyramid, a nuclear power station, or an airport?
Simpson’s Paradox
We explore how statistics can support two seemingly contradictory results.
Leicester City football fluke?
The statistics behind the English Premier League’s surprise winners
The World’s Most Diverse City
Is it true that London is the most diverse city in the world?
The World's Most Profitable Product
Is the iPhone the most profitable product in history? What are the other contenders?
Refugee Camp Statistics
Is it true that the average stay in a refugee camp is 17 years?
HIV in Africa
Is it true that 74% of African girls aged 15-24 HIV positive?
Sexist Data Crisis
Are we collecting enough data about women?
When Companies Track Your Life
How are companies using our personal data?
Brexit Economics
What will happen to trade and business in the UK after leaving the EU?
Ranking Iceland’s Football Team
Are Iceland's football team the best in the world per capita?
Sleeping: the 8-hour myth
Could having a lie-in lead to an early death?
Violence, shootings and the police in the US
Tim Harford investigates the numbers surrounding police shootings in the USA.
Ireland’s Shock GDP figures
Does Ireland have the fastest growing economy in the world?
Odd Socks and Algorithms
How can the techniques of computer science help us in everyday life?
Predicting Olympic Medals
What makes a country successful at winning gold, silver and bronze?
Swimming World Records
Why are swimming world records frequently being broken?
Counting Terror Deaths
Has 2016 been a particularly bad year for terrorism in Europe?
Death Penalty abolition
The story behind the countries that have not executed anyone for 10 years
Menstrual Syncing
Do women’s periods start to synchronise if they spend time together?
Drug deaths in the Philippines
How many people have died during President Duterte’s drug crackdown?