Description
The claim we all swallow 5.5 grams of microplastic each week – the same as the weight of a credit card – has been repeated by charities, newspapers and the World Economic Forum.
But when you understand how this number was calculated, and the range of possible answers for the amount of plastic you eat, you might not want to repeat it yourself.
Professor Jamie Woodward from the University of Manchester explains what’s what.
Presenter: Kate Lamble
Producer: Beth Ashmead Latham
Researcher: Ajai Singh
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound mix: Giles Aspen
Editor: Richard Vadon
Why do some puzzles make us immediately leap to the wrong conclusion?
That’s the subject of Alex Bellos’ new book Think Twice, which has page after page of questions designed to deceive.
Alex sets Tim Harford some of his favourite puzzles.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Series producer: Tom...
Published 09/28/24
The government is encouraging pensioners to claim pension credit in order to remain eligible for winter fuel payments. Will people sign up - and might that end up costing the exchequer more than it saves?
The Office for National Statistics has downgraded the status of a new statistic aiming to...
Published 09/25/24