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Do we have enough clothes for the next six generations?
We delve into the stats on the scale of the fashion industry
Did 20 million votes really go missing in the US election?
We investigate a viral graph that suggests turnout was drastically lower than in 2020
Do fossil fuels get $7 trillion in subsidies?
We investigate a huge estimate for how much governments pay to coal, gas and oil
Can Elon Musk save the US Government $2 trillion?
We look at whether DOGE can successfully balance the US budget.
Did one in 10 Greeks die in World War Two?
We investigate if 10 percent of the Greek population died during the second world war
How many Americans live ‘paycheck to paycheck’?
Did Mussolini make the trains run on time?
Fact checking the fascist regime.
Numbers of the year 2024
We ask experts about their favourite stats from 2024.
Numbers of the year part 2
Our listeners favourite numbers of 2024.
Do 79% of Swedish asylum seekers go on holiday to the country they fled from?
We investigate a refugee claim that is often being taken out of context.
Can redheads handle 25% more pain than brunettes?
We investigate if people with red hair have a hidden pain-blocking superpower
Did Trump make billions with his meme-coin?
We investigate if the US president’s crypto is really worth tens of billions of dollars.
Are quantum computers already super-powerful?
We investigate what a big claim about the speed of a quantum chip really means
Are black babies in the US really more likely to die under the care of white doctors?
How baby mortality statistics gave a misleading impression about racism in healthcare
Has the US sent $50 million worth of condoms to Gaza?
Are Hamas bombing Israel with condoms sent by the US?
Are 150 year olds getting social security payments?
Is this ‘the biggest fraud in the whole of history’?
Has the US really given Ukraine more aid than Europe?
Donald Trump says the US has given Ukraine more aid than Europe - what does the data say?
Defence Spending, Rare Earths and Trunk Truths
The numbers behind Ukraine’s rare earth worth and the UK’s defence spending ambitions
Is there really $500bn of Rare Earths in Ukraine?
Trump wants access to Ukraine’s Rare Earth deposits.
DOGE, apples and irregular migrants
Fact-checking government efficiency claims in the US.
What is an IQ map and can we trust them?
We investigate maps that suggest extremely low average IQs in developing countries
How did lockdown impact children?
Five years on, Tim Harford looks at the data on the effect of lockdown
Why are more people claiming disability benefits?
Plus, UK vs Russia on free speech and the collapse of the Labour Force Survey
What are the chances of an asteroid hitting earth in 2032?
Why the likelihood of planetary impact changed as asteroid 2024 YR4 approached.
Could a 2% wealth tax raise £24bn?
Plus did trillions disappear from UK pensions? Why does the UK have a lot of old housing?
What’s Trump’s problem with Canada?
Does the US subsidise Canada $200 billion a year and why does Trump call them nasty?
Is one in four people in the UK disabled?
Plus, what has Canada done to Donald Trump? Is Rachel Reeves chasing the model?
Trump tariffs: All about the deficits
Explaining the maths and economics of the US ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs
The mistake in Trump’s tariff formula
Plus, counting bobbies, freezing tax and electrocuting redheads
How much is a human life worth?
The Price of Life author Jenny Kleeman on the cost of making and taking a life
The pioneers of proof
Professor Adam Kucharski on his new book, Proof: The Uncertain Science of Certainty
