A perspective on real-time epidemic surveillance for Covid-19
United Nations COVID-19 ResponseEffective, real-time surveillance is key to the management of the Covid-19 pandemic.…
Peter J. Diggle and Sylvia RichardsonSeptember 30, 2020
To infer or not to infer: the UK’s inadequate public disclosure of Covid-19 swab test results
The World Health Organization asks governments to consider two questions when carrying out risk assessments…
Covid-19 data: To age or not to age; to date or not to date?
Pandemic swine-flu, which emerged from Mexico in spring 2009, was a wild thing but a…
Sheila M. BirdApril 22, 2020
Why we need more coronavirus tests than we think
Photo by Vincent Ghilione on UnsplashIn the US, President Trump has said that testing for…
James J. CochranApril 9, 2020
Probably maybe: Ice cream variation
Photo by Mark Cruz on UnsplashThe saying goes that “probabilities are counter-intuitive”. A simple problem…
Christoforos Anagnostopoulos and Spiros DoxiadisMarch 20, 2019
What is the bootstrap?
Bradley Efron (pictured) was awarded the 2018 International Prize in Statistics for the creation of…
James J. CochranNovember 23, 2018
How Frank Wilcoxon helped statisticians walk the non-parametric path
Part of the job of a statistician is to make inferences about a population from…
Mario Cortina Borja & Julian StanderDecember 7, 2015
The political pollsters’ report card: the statisticians’ verdict
Election season is now well underway in the UK and every scandal, botched interview and…
Deirdre Toher & Robin EvansMarch 11, 2015
Statistics bootcamp: estimating pi with R and Buffon’s needle
Creative applications of statistics abound in virtually every discipline. But coming up with tangible examples…
Eric WikaDecember 15, 2014
Does New York City really have as many rats as people?
New York City’s rat problem is infamous. The media describes a metropolis under never-ending siege…
Jonathan AuerbachOctober 10, 2014
Legal vs clinical trials: an explanation of sampling errors and sample size
Clinical trials are often conducted to test new drugs, especially drugs for treating cancer. The…
Terry MillsOctober 11, 2013
Statistical tests: beads for furs?
You have no doubt heard the legend about the Native American tribe being seduced by…
Altea Lorenzo-ArribasAugust 16, 2013
Migration statistics: ‘Unfit for purpose’?
Official UK migration figures have been denounced. They are "little better than a best guess",…
Julian ChampkinJuly 29, 2013
Rape more common than smoking in the US
The United States is experiencing an epidemic of sexual violence. New findings from the National…
Stephanie KovalchikJanuary 6, 2012
May(un)fair? Your chances of winning at McDonald’s Monopoly
McDonald's are once again running their Monopoly promotion, where along with your food you can…
Michael WallaceApril 19, 2011
