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The latest stories
Powerball Strategies: What Actually Changes Your Odds
No picking method changes the 1 in 292,201,338 jackpot odds of a $2 Powerball play (2026 rules); more different combinations raise chance and cost equally.
Read the story →The Odds of a Perfect March Madness Bracket
A typical fan's chance of a perfect 63-game men's bracket is 1 in 120.2 billion per tournament (NCAA.com, 2026). Pure guessing: 1 in 9.2 quintillion.
Read the story →How to Win at Monopoly: The Strategy the Numbers Support
Buy early, trade into a cheap color set, and build three houses: orange repays its $900 of houses in about 16 opponent turns, the fastest of eight groups.
Read the story →Monopoly’s Secret History: From Anti-Landlord Protest to WWII Escape Kit
1904. That’s the year the game that became Monopoly was patented, 31 years before Parker Brothers sold a single box, and not by the man on the box. More than…
Read the story →Interview: Phil Orbanes, Monopoly Expert
Phil Orbanesisformer VP of Parker Brothers, Chief Judge for the US and World Monopoly Championships, and author of The Monopoly Companion. When did you first play Monopoly? I was eight. I…
Read the story →C-Sections: The Ultimate in Planned Parenthood
It’s a staple of movies and television sitcoms. Think Charlotte in Sex and the City. A hugely pregnant woman is going about her life—say enjoying a meal in a fancy restaurant,…
Read the story →Alzheimer’s: Would You Want to Know Your Risk?
Alzheimer’s disease is the downside—and looming threat—of rapidly improving longevity. Not surprisingly, aging is the single greatest risk factor for developing the disease. For the 65 and older population of…
Read the story →The Costs of Food Poisoning
Dining at the venerable Harvard Faculty Club is a cherished tradition for many, including current and former faculty and alumni of the prestigious university. But this spring, over 300 people…
Read the story →The Relative Rarity of Tetanus
Few young baby boomers went tromping through the backyard without the parental warning, “Don’t step on a rusty nail. You’ll get lockjaw!” echoing behind them. There was a certain urgency…
Read the story →The odds a child 2 – 11 has cavities in his or her primary teeth
1 in 2.37 The odds a child 2 – 11 has cavities in his or her primary teeth are 1 in 2.37 (US, 1999 – 2004). Sources & Definitions SOURCE(S)…
Read the story →Broken Heart Syndrome
It’s a timeworn theme, dying of a broken heart. The poet of the Psalms recognized that “by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken” (Psalms 15:13). In Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra,…
Read the story →The odds a female will ever be diagnosed with breast cancer
1 in 8.28 The odds a female will ever be diagnosed with breast cancer are 1 in 8.28 (US, 2004 – 2006). SOURCE(S) Horner MJ, Ries LAG, Krapcho M, Neyman…
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