Mathematicians lead effort to build common model of the immune system

What's the risk of passive smoking? Or climate change? How big is the terrorist threat? And should we trust league tables? These issues concern all of us, but it's not always easy to make sense of the barrage of media information. David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk, gives Plus his take on uncertainty.

A new Bayesian network helps predict the severity of the disease

How advanced mathematical techniques save lives.

Take part in research from home, and help defeat malaria with Africa@home.

A mathematical model evaluates responses to epidemics

The travels of bank notes give important clues to epidemiologists

The search for the maths gene

Researchers have used mathematical modelling to understand the evolution of the influenza virus.

To study a system, mathematicians begin by identifying its most crucial elements, and try to describe them in simple mathematical terms. As Phil Wilson tells us, this simplification is the essence of mathematical modelling.

Ever since the thalidomide tragedy, governments have realised the importance of a strict licensing regime for new drugs. Medical statistician Robert Hemmings explains how his work for the Medicines Control Agency helps to safeguard the health of the nation.