Category: Series

The construction of the Panama Canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through Central America is considered one of the greatest engineering feats of all time. It also caused enormous human suffering and loss of life. Donald Trump claimed in a recent interview that 35,000 Americans died in the canal?s construction. But is that true? Tim Harford finds out, with the help of Matthew Parker, author of Hell?s Gorge: The Battle to Build the Panama Canal. Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Jon Bithrey Editor: Richard Vadon Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot (Boat Crossing on the Panama Canal in Panama Credit: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

The American housing crisis was largely created by local governments. Fixing it demands local innovation. Greg Brooks of the Better Cities Project details some local fixes to address the mismatch between supply and demand in American housing.

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What are the implications of a federal court panel's decision that a lifetime ban on voting rights for felons is "cruel and unusual punishment"? Cody Wisniewski of the Firearms Policy Coalition comments.

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State-level programs intended for the very poor should not be expanded to include the middle class. Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center details some such programs states are working to expand.

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Covid related deaths are rising in England and Wales - but what do the figures really tell us? Also the UK's GDP during the pandemic has been revised upwards. Tim Harford and team ask why and discuss what it tells us about the UK's economic performance compared to other countries. Is North Sea gas really four times cleaner than gas from abroad? It's a claim recently made by the government. And we ask whether Chloe Kelly's penalty shot at the World Cup was really faster than the Premier League's fastest goal last season.

Presenter: Tim Harford Series Producer: Jon Bithrey Reporters: Nathan Gower, Natasha Fernandes Editor: Richard Vadon Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

National conservatism (or conservative nationalism) may have had its moment, but a group of so-called Freedom Conservatives have unveiled a statement of principles that includes a more robust voluntary sector of society. Stephanie Slade of Reason comments.

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On this week?s episode of More or Less we interrogate a widely circulated myth relating to how much of our brain power we can access and engage. Ever heard someone say, ?You know we can only use 10% of our brains, right??. Well, they?re wrong. It?s the stuff of make believe and far-fetched movie plots. Science and evidence based research tells us so - and has, it turns out, been telling us so for decades?politely, if impatiently. So, then, if not 10%?what percentage of our brain do we actually use? From dark matter neurons to super-highway synapse and ghost cells that serve as inert echoes of our evolutionary past - with the help of two leading experts in the field, we crack open the figurative cranium of this debate and rummage around for the definitive truth.

Presenter: Paul Connolly Producers: Jon Bithrey, Natasha Fernandes Editor: Richard Vadon Sound Engineer: Rod Farquhar

(Artificial intelligence brain network/Getty)

The American housing crisis can be fixed mostly by states and localities. How did Montana advance a more rational set of housing policies? Kendall Cotton of Montana's Frontier Institute explains.

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