THE MATH OF LIFE AND DEATH

Yates, a mathematical biologist from the University of Bath, England, can spin a funny yarn. Listeners will smile as he tells how he turned up early at an airport once because he mixed up A.M. and P.M. His stories tend to have a serious side, though. His airport mix-up leads into explaining how time zone confusion thwarted the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. Yates looks at the math relating to a lot of serious topics, such as radiation, police shootings and mass shootings, pyramid schemes, and smallpox vaccines. He keeps the topics lively and interesting, although he can be breezy in his explanation of concepts. Yates also offers listeners much needed ways to look skeptically at courtroom statements, statistics, and social media. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2020]