Podcast Episodes

How long does it take to turn around an oil tanker?

Do illegal migrants receive more in benefits than pensioners? Was Energy Secretary Ed Miliband right to celebrate a “record breaking” renewable energy auction? Is one divided by zero infinity? Why do…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

Who pays when trade wars heat up?

Donald Trump wants new tariffs on goods coming into the US, describing them as a tax on other countries. The Democrats are no stranger to trade tariffs themselves, with Joe Biden having added them to…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

Exclusions, black holes and dividing by zero

Do half of children in Wales have special educational needs? Are permanent exclusions at the highest ever level in England? Labour are talking about a £22bn black hole. Is that a new black hole in th…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

Where have Cuba’s people gone?

The Cuban government has announced that their population has fallen by 10% in two years – just days after a demographer on the Caribbean island suggested an even bigger fall.

But which is the right n…

Published on 1 year, 3 months ago

Do we eat a credit card's worth of microplastic each week?

The claim we all swallow 5.5 grams of microplastic each week – the same as the weight of a credit card – has been repeated by charities, newspapers and the World Economic Forum.

But when you underst…

Published on 1 year, 4 months ago

Are companies making more money from their customers?

Recent reports claimed the average global mark-up, the difference between the price of production and the price that product is sold for, rose from 7% in 1980 to 59% by 2020.

So is this true? Are some…

Published on 1 year, 4 months ago

Is planet Earth getting greener?

Canadian psychologist and culture war commentator Jordan Peterson says planet Earth has got 20% greener in the last 20 years.

But satellite data tells a different story.

We investigate the correct nu…

Published on 1 year, 4 months ago

Does a language die every two weeks?

Researchers have catalogued 7,164 languages spoken around the world - some are used daily by billions. Half are spoken by less than 8000 people. The death of a language, when it’s no longer spoken as…

Published on 1 year, 4 months ago

Are women 14 times more likely to die in natural disasters?

The idea that women outnumber men by 14 to 1 as casualties of natural disasters has been repeated in newspapers and online for years - the UN have even used this statistic.

But when you track down the…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

Is increasing turbulence making flying more dangerous?

Is climate change making turbulence more dangerous for people taking flights around the world?

That’s what one listener asked, following a terrifying turbulence incident which left one person dead an…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago