More or Less

How can we use statistics to predict how many medals each nation will win? We speak to Dr Julia Bredtmann, an economist at the RWI Leibniz Institute for Economic Research. She has come up with a model to predict how many medals each country will win, along with her colleagues, Sebastian Otten, also from the Leibniz Institute, and Carsten Crede of the University of East Anglia.Some countries like the US and China have a large population and GDP, but a number of countries do very well for their size and wealth. Julia explains the different factors you have to consider to predict Olympic success.

Explore the impact of 5p fee on plastic bag usage, predict Olympic medal outcomes using statistics, analyze income inequality trends in the UK, discuss the decline in maternal mortality rates globally, and unravel the complexities of measuring coastlines with 'The Coastline Paradox'.

Brian Christian, co-author of 'Algorithms to Live by', discusses how computer science techniques can optimize everyday decision-making. He shares insights on pairing odd socks efficiently and alphabetizing books using algorithms. The podcast explores sorting strategies, including radix sort for socks and merge sort for book collections.

Debunking the 'Waitrose effect' on house prices, examining stats in the EU referendum, questioning the value hike on Antiques Roadshow, and using computer science for sock organization.

Exploring Ireland's 26% GDP growth in 2015, deemed as 'leprechaun economics' by economist Paul Krugman. The influence of multinational companies on Ireland's GDP figures and the challenge of accurately calculating economic activity. Investigating the popularity of Pokemon Go with 26 million daily active users in the US and its global impact.

Exploring the protests over police shootings in the US, focusing on incidents involving Alton Sterling and Philando Castle. Investigating the number of people killed by police annually and the fatalities of police officers. Discussing racial disparities in police shootings, particularly the high rates among minorities compared to whites.

Dr. Gregg Jacobs challenges the 8-hour sleep myth, discussing research on health risks associated with long or short sleep durations. Experts explore connections between sleep duration and mortality, highlighting optimal 7-8 hours. Debate on extended sleep's impact on health outcomes, including inflammation and back pain, is discussed, with recommendations for around 7 hours of sleep for optimal health.

Exploring if Iceland's football team is the best per capita after defeating England, analyzing UK referendum voting patterns by age, and speculating on future voting trends.

Explore the economic implications of Brexit on the UK's growth, trade relationships, and regulations. Delve into the challenges of negotiating trade deals post-Brexit and the differing perspectives on economic prospects.

Exploring the historical and modern practices of companies collecting personal data for profit, including the shadowy story of data pooling by insurance companies from more than a hundred years ago. The podcast delves into the privacy concerns and security risks associated with data tracking by online retailers, banks, credit card companies, and technology corporations. It also discusses the algorithmic influence on user choices and privacy concerns, and the challenges of personal data protection amidst skepticism towards privacy technologies and dominance of data brokers.