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The 2016 Prediction Games – Part II

Now that the sun has set on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, it’s time to…

Tim PauldenAugust 27, 2016

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Ask a statistician: Why can we not predict earthquakes?

Hundreds of people have been killed since the start of the year as a result…

Brian TarranAugust 25, 2016

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The 2016 Prediction Games – Part I

Prior to the start of the 2016 Olympic Games, over a dozen different groups around…

Tim PauldenAugust 17, 2016

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Making maps

In an extract from her book, Big Data: Does Size Matter?, Timandra Harkness meets data-based…

Timandra HarknessAugust 16, 2016

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Voting matters – August 2016 issue preview

Some readers may find it ironic that, less than two months after the UK voted…

Brian TarranAugust 9, 2016

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Chilcot, part 2: How Tony Blair fumbled Iraq’s child mortality statistics

At a dramatic moment in Tony Blair’s testimony before the Iraq Inquiry back in 2010,…

Michael SpagatJuly 14, 2016

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Fewer jeers, more cheers: How to improve the chances of a home-town triumph

With Euro 2016 and the Copa América providing ample entertainment for soccer lovers the world…

Michael WallaceJune 16, 2016

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A summer of sport (and statistics)

It has been four years since sport last graced the cover of our print magazine.…

Brian TarranJune 8, 2016

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Should Wayne Rooney play in Euro 2016?

Just as quickly as the English Premier League came and went, the European Championship in…

Ian McHaleJune 1, 2016

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Are robots taking our jobs?

If you put water on the stove and heat it up, it will at first…

Moshe Y. VardiMay 12, 2016

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The challenges for GDP, now and in the future

When Professor Sir Charlie Bean published his review of UK economic statistics in March, he…

Diane CoyleApril 25, 2016

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Yes, the polls were wrong. But it is time we understood their limitations

“General election polls in 2015 ‘the most inaccurate’,” said the BBC. “Polling shake-up planned after…

Brian TarranApril 5, 2016

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How happiness is challenging GDP as the measure of a country’s health

Denmark reclaimed its place as the happiest country in the world, according to the latest…

Paul AnandMarch 23, 2016

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Why forensic bite mark analysis lacks teeth

Steven Mark Chaney was convicted in 1987 of the murder of a drug dealer who…

Jim Norton and George DivineMarch 17, 2016

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Revisiting the vaccine visualisations

Last year, the vaccination debate was all the rage again. “Pro-vaxxers” were loudly proclaiming that…

Randy OlsonMarch 9, 2016

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Ask a statistician: What is the calorific cost of McDonald’s revenue growth?

Robin Bray-Hurren, a calligrapher and printmaker from South London, asks: "In order for McDonald’s to…

Brian TarranMarch 1, 2016

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In Brexit vote, economic arguments may trump cultural concerns, says study

On 23 June, the United Kingdom will vote on whether to remain a member of…

Brian TarranFebruary 25, 2016

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Statistically speaking… How long can Pope Francis expect to live?

When elected pope of the Roman Catholic Church on 13 March 2013, the Argentinian priest…

Julian Stander, Luciana Dalla Valle and Mario Cortina BorjaFebruary 18, 2016

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Introducing the new-look Significance

You’ve probably noticed that things look a little different here. To coincide with the start…

Brian TarranFebruary 16, 2016

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Voodoo polls are bad news: here’s how to spot and stop them

"Over a third of students ‘no longer wish to study medicine’ amid the junior doctors’…

Robert FordJanuary 20, 2016