Hang on, is that number right? In its August 2020 print edition, Significance examines the use of statistics in advertising, speaking with regulators, advertisers and statisticians about the way numbers are used to support advertising claims and the questions that should be asked to better understand them.
Elsewhere, Timandra Harkness marks the 400th birthday of John Graunt, the London haberdasher whose investigations of London’s Bills of Mortality laid the foundations for work done today by demographers, actuaries, public health professionals, epidemiologists and statisticians.
And, how do you say 'data science' in Latin? More importantly, why should we care? Both questions are answered as Matthew A Jay and Mario Cortina Borja look to the past to better understand a thoroughly modern phrase.
Also in the August issue:
- Researchers from the University of Bristol explain 'collider bias' in the context of coronavirus research, warning that when non-random sampling collides with our understanding of Covid-19 risk, we must be careful not to draw incorrect conclusions about cause and effect.
- After Covid-19, the US statistical system needs to change, says Julia Lane, as she calls for a new, more democratic, public data infrastructure.
- And, in honour of CR Rao’s centenary, Bradley Efron, Shun-ichi Amari, Donald B Rubin, Arni SR Srinivasa Rao and David R Cox reflect on Rao’s contributions to statistics.
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Significance is online at www.significancemagazine.com.