Whether the subject is trends in housing sales or trials of a new cancer drug, news reports often have to grapple with applications of statistics and probability. ChanceWiki from Dartmouth College turns such items into lessons on statistical thinking.

Originally a newsletter penned by math professors, the site now lets readers post discussions and exercises based on media stories, papers, books, and other sources. Recent contributions have investigated possible explanations for why Europeans are now taller than Americans (a reversal of the situation 60 years ago) and slammed a 2001 report that claimed Oscar winners live nearly 4 years longer than mere nominees. The longevity boost is illusory, the entry's author concludes, the result of a statistical gaffe called selection bias.

Volume 317, Number 5838, Issue of 03 August 2007