<description>&lt;p&gt;Could European Nato members use their large holdings of US shares and bonds to put pressure on America? It’s a question that some in Europe found themselves asking as the geopolitical crisis over Greenland escalated and leaders desperately tried to think of ways to dissuade Donald Trump. 
 
It is true that trillions of dollars of American financial assets are held in Europe. But the devil, as ever, is in the detail. 
 
Tim Harford talks to Toby Nangle, a journalist with the Financial Times, to drill down into the numbers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Nathan Gower
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Editor: Richard Vadon
Programme Coordinator: Brenda Brown 
Sound Engineer: James Beard&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Europe holds trillions of dollars of US shares and bonds - but can they use them?

Could European Nato members use their large holdings of US shares and bonds to put pressure on America? It’s a question that some in Europe found themselves asking as the geopolitical crisis over Greenland escalated and leaders desperately tried to think of ways to dissuade Donald Trump. 
 
It is true that trillions of dollars of American financial assets are held in Europe. But the devil, as ever, is in the detail. 
 
Tim Harford talks to Toby Nangle, a journalist with the Financial Times, to drill down into the numbers.Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Nathan Gower
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Editor: Richard Vadon
Programme Coordinator: Brenda Brown 
Sound Engineer: James Beard

Could Europe use its financial muscle to strong-arm the US?

<description>&lt;p&gt;Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is it true that someone needs to earn £71,000 before they receive more money than a family on benefits?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Did Canadian prime minister Mark Carney get the GDP of Canada and the Nordic countries wrong?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Are 1990s pop icons Right Said Fred right about what they said about church attacks?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is a sauna really ten times as hot as Wales in the winter?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And Tim hits the science lab treadmill to find out if he can run a four-hour marathon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you’ve seen a number in the news you want the team on More or Less to have a look at, email moreorless@bbc.co.uk&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contributors:
Gareth Morgan, benefits expert and author of the Benefits in the Future blog
Joe Shalam, policy director of the Centre for Social Justice
Professor Kelly Morrison, head of physics at Loughborough University
Dr Danny Muniz, a senior lecturer in Exercise Physiology at the University of Hertfordshire&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Credits:
Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporters: Nathan Gower, Lizzy McNeill and Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound mix: Gareth Jones and James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Tim Harford investigates benefits, church attacks, saunas and marathon running

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week:Is it true that someone needs to earn £71,000 before they receive more money than a family on benefits?Did Canadian prime minister Mark Carney get the GDP of Canada and the Nordic countries wrong?Are 1990s pop icons Right Said Fred right about what they said about church attacks?Is a sauna really ten times as hot as Wales in the winter?And Tim hits the science lab treadmill to find out if he can run a four-hour marathon.If you’ve seen a number in the news you want the team on More or Less to have a look at, email moreorless@bbc.co.ukContributors:
Gareth Morgan, benefits expert and author of the Benefits in the Future blog
Joe Shalam, policy director of the Centre for Social Justice
Professor Kelly Morrison, head of physics at Loughborough University
Dr Danny Muniz, a senior lecturer in Exercise Physiology at the University of HertfordshireCredits:
Presenter: Tim Harford
Reporters: Nathan Gower, Lizzy McNeill and Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound mix: Gareth Jones and James Beard
Editor: Richard Vadon

Can you get £71,000 on benefits?

<description>&lt;p&gt;The vast island of Greenland has found itself at the centre of a geopolitical crisis. But a little bit of geography can help us see the situation in a new light.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;YouTuber and map expert Jay Foreman explains how Mercator maps - the maps that the vast majority of us use to understand the world - contain necessary but massive distortions and hugely exaggerate the size of the Arctic island. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So, why is making a flat map of a round globe so difficult? Why did we end up with a problematic map in the first place? And are there any alternatives?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Nathan Gower
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Editor: Richard Vadon
Programme Coordinator: Brenda Brown 
Sound Engineer: James Beard&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Tim Harford asks if Greenland is really as vast as most maps seem to suggest

The vast island of Greenland has found itself at the centre of a geopolitical crisis. But a little bit of geography can help us see the situation in a new light.YouTuber and map expert Jay Foreman explains how Mercator maps - the maps that the vast majority of us use to understand the world - contain necessary but massive distortions and hugely exaggerate the size of the Arctic island. So, why is making a flat map of a round globe so difficult? Why did we end up with a problematic map in the first place? And are there any alternatives?Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Nathan Gower
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Editor: Richard Vadon
Programme Coordinator: Brenda Brown 
Sound Engineer: James Beard

Is Greenland as big as Africa?

<description>&lt;p&gt;Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week: &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How far away is Greenland from the United States? We check a number From Our Own Correspondent. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Does converting our entire energy system to be carbon neutral come with a £7.6 trillion price tag?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Is the inevitable rise of house prices in the UK not so inevitable after all? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Can the great mathematicians of history answer the question of the hour: how to play The Traitors? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you’ve seen a number in the news you want the team on More or Less to have a look at, email moreorless@bbc.co.uk&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Contributors: 
Jay Foreman, one half of YouTube duo the Map Men 
Mike Thompson, chief economist of the National Energy System Operator 
David Turver, author of The Cost of Net Zero, a report from the Institute of Economic Affairs 
Neal Hudson, housing market analyst and founder housing research website BuiltPlace 
Dr Kat Phillips, mathematician and Innovation research associate at the University of Warwick, Traitors aficionado &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Credits: 
Presenter: Tim Harford 
Reporter: Tom Colls 
Producers: Nathan Gower and Lizzy McNeill 
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown 
Sound mix: James Beard 
Editor: Richard Vadon&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Tim Harford investigates Greenland maps, climate costs, house prices and Traitors maths

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week: How far away is Greenland from the United States? We check a number From Our Own Correspondent. Does converting our entire energy system to be carbon neutral come with a £7.6 trillion price tag?Is the inevitable rise of house prices in the UK not so inevitable after all? Can the great mathematicians of history answer the question of the hour: how to play The Traitors? If you’ve seen a number in the news you want the team on More or Less to have a look at, email moreorless@bbc.co.ukContributors: 
Jay Foreman, one half of YouTube duo the Map Men 
Mike Thompson, chief economist of the National Energy System Operator 
David Turver, author of The Cost of Net Zero, a report from the Institute of Economic Affairs 
Neal Hudson, housing market analyst and founder housing research website BuiltPlace 
Dr Kat Phillips, mathematician and Innovation research associate at the University of Warwick, Traitors aficionado Credits: 
Presenter: Tim Harford 
Reporter: Tom Colls 
Producers: Nathan Gower and Lizzy McNeill 
Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown 
Sound mix: James Beard 
Editor: Richard Vadon

How close is Greenland to the United States?

<description>&lt;p&gt;In Autumn 2025 a paper in South Korea was published that excited many a vaccine sceptic online. The paper claimed that receiving a vaccination against Covid19 was linked to a 27% increase in cancer risk. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, when you dig into the data there is no evidence that the vaccine caused the cancer. We spoke to Professor Justin Fendos to explain why we cannot take this type of statistical analysis at face value. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Lizzy McNeill
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound Mix: James Beard&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Why a study from South Korea does not show that vaccines cause cancer

In Autumn 2025 a paper in South Korea was published that excited many a vaccine sceptic online. The paper claimed that receiving a vaccination against Covid19 was linked to a 27% increase in cancer risk. However, when you dig into the data there is no evidence that the vaccine caused the cancer. We spoke to Professor Justin Fendos to explain why we cannot take this type of statistical analysis at face value. Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Lizzy McNeill
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Sound Mix: James Beard

No, a study has not shown that the covid jab causes cancer

Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life

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