How extraordinary is Ye Shiwen?
There was controversy this week after Ye Shiwen, a young Chinese swimmer, won the 400 metre individual medley in fine style. A US swimming coach called the performance "disturbing", implying that she may have cheated. More or Less investigates the numbers and finds there's no statistical smoking gun.
3 Aug 201227min
Gun laws and gold medals (WS)
Last week's mass-shooting at a cinema in Colorado has - not surprisingly - intensified America's bitter and long-running argument with itself about gun control. The argument is political and highly partisan. But it is also practical: would tighter gun laws actually lead to fewer gun deaths? You might think it's obvious that they would. But it seems the evidence isn't quite that clear. Also: how have Olympians changed in the last century?
28 Jul 20129min
Gun laws and gold medals
Last week's mass-shooting at a cinema in Colorado has - not suprisingly - intensified America's bitter and long-running argument with itself about gun control. The argument is political and highly partisan. But it is also practical: would tighter gun laws actually lead to fewer gun deaths? You might think it's obvious that they would. But it seems the evidence isn't quite that clear. Also: how have Olympians changed in the last century?
27 Jul 201227min
Has clamping down on drugs made the Tour de France slower? (WS)
The Tour de France, we are told, has finally cleaned up its act and clamped down on the use of performance-enhancing drugs. But if it has, should we expect today’s drug-free riders to be slower than their drug-fuelled forebears? Can statistics tell us whether the Tour de France really is cleaner than it was? Also in the programme: does when you retire influence when you die?
21 Jul 20129min
Has clamping down on drugs made the Tour de France slower?
The Tour de France, we are told, has finally cleaned up its act and clamped down on the use of performance-enhancing drugs. But if it has, should we expect today’s drug-free riders to be slower than their drug-fuelled forebears? Can statistics tell us whether the Tour de France really is cleaner than it was? Also in the programme: does when you retire influence when you die?
20 Jul 201227min
Who are the Libor losers?
How much damage did messing with Libor really do to the financial system? And we investigate the claim made by a leading charity that a million British children are "starving".
14 Jul 201227min
More or Less: Who are the Libor losers? (WS)
How much damage did messing with Libor really do to the financial system? After all, most financial trades are two way bets – and for every winner, there is a loser.
14 Jul 20129min
Drinks and drugs capital of the world? (WS)
Do residents of the tiny micronesian island of Palau really smoke more cannabis, and drink more beer, than anyone else?
6 Jul 20129min
