More or Less

It has been reported that as many as 20,000 foreign fighters have joined militants in the Middle East and that they make up around 10% of ISIS. Wesley Stephenson and Federica Cocco look at the numbers behind those claims and examine where those fighting in places like Syria and Iraq come from.

Ruth Alexander and the team return to the question of how long you might live. Those born today are expected to live six and a half years longer than those born in 1990 but can this trend continue?

Exploring the impact of G8 agreements on aid and debt relief for developing nations, with a focus on the limited progress in trade and aid commitments. Analyzing Ghana's economic challenges post-debt cancellation and its reliance on IMF support amid rising debt levels.

Delving into the Greek economic crisis, the podcast challenges myths around tax collection failures and work ethic. From debunking Porsche Kends rumors to untangling tax misconceptions, it scrutinizes the statistics behind the Greek crisis. Exploring productivity disparities, work hour differences, and challenges in the railway system, the podcast offers intriguing insights into the complexities of Greece's economic landscape.

This podcast explores the success of blockbuster movies like Jurassic World, Spider-Man, and Harry Potter, delving into the reasons behind their financial triumphs. It also compares the economic contributions of bees to the British Royal Family, showcasing the surprising value bees bring to the UK economy.

Can horoscopes predict diseases? Analyzing birth month correlations with health risks. Evolution of Duckworth-Lewis method in cricket scoring trends, adapting to modern gameplay. Potential need for major revisions in scoring patterns.

Global Footprint We’re often told that we consume so much that we need one and a half planets. It comes from the Global Footprint Network a think-tank that has pioneered ecological foot-printing but what does that number even mean, and is it helpful? Chocolate makes you thinner We tell the story behind the chocolate experiment designed to deliberately fool the press. Concerned about the amount of pseudo-science surrounding diet and nutrition, John Bohannon and Peter Onneken ran a trial and had the results published in an online journal, sent out a press release. While the results were correct the trial wasn’t very robust but this didn’t stop the story that chocolate made you thinner running in newspapers, magazines and on TV around the world. Peter and John had fooled the press and they made a documentary about it. But the experiment has sparked a debate about whether it was ethical to fool the press in this way and whether the whole project was just self-serving.

It's the last in the series so we're packing in the statistical goodies so that you can go into numerical hibernation until August. We're looking at the street value of drugs: when police claim that they've confiscated hundreds of millions of pounds worth of narcotics, where do those numbers come from? And how has the dark internet changed drug prices? We'll also be looking at claims that those of us who aren't binging on drugs are binging on biscuits instead. Apparently much of the UK and almost the entire population of Ireland is going to be obese before long. But how have such alarming forecasts fared in the past? We're often told that we consume so much that we need one and a half planets - and not just to provide room for all those obese people. What does that number even mean, and is it helpful? And Richard Thaler, the co-author of "Nudge", joins us to talk about the psychology of risk.

The podcast explores the high number of migrant worker deaths in Qatar, comparing death tolls across different projects and investigating discrepancies in official data. It also delves into the challenges faced by migrant workers, including low wages and limited mobility. Additionally, the podcast discusses a challenging math exam question involving calculating probabilities with sweets.

Exploring the questionable link between World Cup and migrant deaths in Qatar. Debunking misconception of worker fatalities. Navigating vaccine controversies and scientific hoaxes. Discussing ethical media reporting and complex probability problems.