podcast
Plus advent calendar door #3: How to evaluate a medical treatment
It's the time of the year for cough sweets, flu medication and paracetamol. But how do we know these and other medicines really work?
package
Teacher package: Statistics and probability theory
This issue's teacher package brings together all Plus articles on probability and statistics, exploring anything from maths in the dock to games of chance. It also has some handy links to related problems on our sister site NRICH.
news
Fat body slim
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions and the World Health Organisation estimates that, by 2015, about 3 billion adults will be overweight or obese worldwide. These individuals will be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and osteoarthritis.
news
Who do you trust?
Statisticians welcome a call to make official statistics independent - but can it really be done in one hour?
article
Beating bird flu with maths
With bird flu spreading through cattle herds in the US and infecting humans, the diseases poses a severe threat to wild life, poultry and also people. What can mathematical modelling do to help?
news
Helping men with early prostate cancer
A new online tool developed with the help of statisticians enables patients to make informed treatment choices.
article
Keeping people safe at large events
How can sporting events, concerts, or festivals be kept safe in the face of rising COVID-19 infections?
news
Clearing the air: Making indoor spaces COVID safe
New research shows that ventilation is crucial and that masks are effective.
podcast
Plus podcast 22, February 2010: Evaluating a medical treatment
New treatments and drugs are tested extensively before they come on the market using randomised controlled trials (RCTs). We talk to David Spiegelhalter (Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk), Sheila Bird (Professor at the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit), and Nigel Hawkes (journalist and director of Straight Statistics).
article
Can AI help with breast cancer screening?
There are several ways in which it can and studies suggest they could be safe and effective.
article
What is financial mathematics?
Tim Johnson was drawn into financial maths, not through an interest in finance, but because he was interested in making good decisions in the face of uncertainty. Tim explores the development of this interface between abstract mathematics and our everyday lives, and explains why a painting may only…