Podcast Episodes

Testosterone and sport

In early December 2021 a member of Penn University Women’s Swim Team caused a stir. Lia Thomas not only won three events but she had the fastest time in elite college swimming in the country in two o…

Published on 3 years, 10 months ago

The prime minister in statistical bother

Boris Johnson has been ticked off for misleading Parliament on jobs and on crime.

He claimed that the number of people in employment has been rising - when it’s been falling. And he made a claim that…

Published on 3 years, 10 months ago

Can you fool your brain?

Have you given up on your New Year’s resolution yet? Every year many of us make the promise to become better, shinier, more accomplished versions of ourselves by the same time next year. It’s often e…

Published on 3 years, 10 months ago

Does the UK have the fastest growing economy in the G7?

Conservative politicians have taken to the airwaves to tell us to forget the parties, and just look at the economic growth - but is the UK really growing faster than other leading economies?

The Omicr…

Published on 3 years, 10 months ago

Fertility rates: baby boom or bust?

Under lockdown, couples were destined to find themselves closer than ever before, but despite what you’d think – this didn’t result in a higher birth rate. In fact in developed countries across the w…

Published on 3 years, 10 months ago

Should you follow the 5 second rule? And does inflation hit the poorest harder?

Food writer Jack Monroe sparked national debate this week when she tweeted about food price hikes on the cheapest goods in supermarkets - but does inflation really hit low income households hardest?

S…

Published on 3 years, 11 months ago

Are female patients more likely to die if the surgeon is male?

In early January several newspapers ran article claiming that ‘women are 32% more likely to die after operation by male surgeon. If true, this is a terrifying figure but is all as it seems? We dig in…

Published on 3 years, 11 months ago

Are women 32% more likely to die after operation by a male surgeon?

Are women 32% more likely to die after operation by a male surgeon? Headlines asserting this were shared across social media recently - but the truth is a bit more complicated.

We compare the price an…

Published on 3 years, 11 months ago

QAnon: Did 365,348 children go missing in the US in 2020?

In December, Republican politician Lauren Boebert tweeted the claim that ‘365,348 children went missing in 2020’. This is a shocking statistic but is it true and does it mean what we think it means? …

Published on 3 years, 11 months ago

Omicron, pandemic birth rates and boosters

The pandemic seems to be entering a new phase as Omicron has taken hold. Is it milder? And how might we make decisions based on the latest data?

Predictions that lockdowns might lead to a baby boom ha…

Published on 3 years, 11 months ago