Over a million international visitors were expected to come to the U.S. during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But how did forecasters come up with that number almost a year ago? Teo tells Clare about the surprisingly straightforward math and how businesses use that information to (try to) prepare enough beer when the Scots come to town.

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:
Interview: Aran Ryan, Tourism Economics, 2026
Interview: John David, Sports Events and Tourism Association, 2026

Over a million international visitors were expected to come to the U.S. during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But how did forecasters come up with that number almost a year ago? Teo tells Clare about the surprisingly straightforward math and how businesses use that information to (try to) prepare enough beer when the Scots come to town.
We want to answer your questions about how our world works!&nbsp;<a href="https://forms.office.com/r/4nGSfCuAML">Click here</a> to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org
Support the show by supporting our home, <a href="https://kuow.org/controlf">KUOW Public Radio</a> in Seattle.
Sources in this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Interview: Aran Ryan, Tourism Economics, 2026</li>
<li aria-level="1">Interview: John David, Sports Events and Tourism Association, 2026</li>
</ul>

Control F is a podcast about data — hard, fuzzy, surprising, and sometimes unreliable data — and all the ways it influences our daily lives. In each episode, we dig deep on a topic and search through research, algorithms, and assumptions to bring you insights on how stuff works. In a world ruled by numbers, Control F reads between the (spreadsheet) lines to find the bigger story.

Control F is a podcast about data &mdash; hard, fuzzy, surprising, and sometimes unreliable data &mdash; and all the ways it influences our daily lives. In each episode, we dig deep on a topic and search through research, algorithms, and assumptions to bring you insights on how stuff works. In a world ruled by numbers, Control F reads between the (spreadsheet) lines to find the bigger story.

Control F is a podcast about data — hard, fuzzy, surprising, and sometimes unreliable data — and all the ways it influences our daily lives. 

Control F

Over a million international visitors were expected to come to the U.S. during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But how did forecasters come up with that number almost a year ago?

How do you predict how many visitors will travel for the FIFA World Cup?

Every year, millions of Americans choose to hop on e-bikes because of their affordability, convenience and speed. Motorcycles can take you farther, faster, and have been around longer; so has their dangerous reputation. When you look at the numbers, which is actually more dangerous? Teo explains to Clare what the data says about the unique and shared risks of the two rides.

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:
Safety and Injury Prevention Statement, American College of Surgeons, 2025 
Bike helmet protects a young boy’s brain, UW Medicine, 2025
Electric Bicycle Injuries and Hospitalizations, JAMA Surgery, 2024
National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, 2024
Bicycle Injury at UW Medicine, Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, 2024 
Exploring Electric Bicycle Safety Performance Data and Policy Options for California, San Jose State University, 2025
E-Bikes are vehicles, not toys: What parents need to know, Utah Department of Public Safety, 2026
Select Risk Factors Associated with Causes of Motorcycle Crashs, National Transportation Safety Board, 2018
Micromobility: Data Challenges Associated with Assessing the Prevalence and Risk of Electric Scooter and Electric Bicycle Fatalities and Injuries, National Transportation Safety Board, 2022 
Traffic Safety Facts: Motorcycles, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2025 
Traffic Safety Facts: Pedalcycles, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2025 
Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024
Injury patterns and safety implications for electric bikes compared to mopeds in the United States, Traffic Injury Prevention, 2025
Interview: Stephen J. Mooney, Ph.D., University of Washington Department of Epidemiology, 2026

Every year, millions of Americans choose to hop on e-bikes because of their affordability, convenience and speed. Motorcycles can take you farther, faster, and have been around longer; so has their dangerous reputation. When you look at the numbers, which is actually more dangerous? Teo explains to Clare what the data says about the unique and shared risks of the two rides.
We want to answer your questions about how our world works! <a href="https://forms.office.com/r/4nGSfCuAML">Click here</a> to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org
Support the show by supporting our home, <a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/control-f-notes">KUOW Public Radio</a> in Seattle.
Sources in this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.facs.org/about-acs/statements/statement-on-electric-bicycle-safety-and-injury-prevention/">Safety and Injury Prevention Statement</a>, American College of Surgeons, 2025&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXReW3O5_MA">Bike helmet protects a young boy&rsquo;s brain</a>, UW Medicine, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10882498/">Electric Bicycle Injuries and Hospitalizations</a>, JAMA Surgery, 2024</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.cpsc.gov/Research--Statistics/NEISS-Injury-Data">National Electronic Injury Surveillance System</a>, 2024</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://wtsc.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Exec-Summary_Bike-Injury-in-Seattle_Oct2024.pdf">Bicycle Injury at UW Medicine</a>, Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, 2024&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://transweb.sjsu.edu/sites/default/files/2423-Agrawal-Electric-Bicycle-Safety-Data-Policy.pdf">Exploring Electric Bicycle Safety Performance Data and Policy Options for California</a>, San Jose State University, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://highwaysafety.utah.gov/ebikes/">E-Bikes are vehicles, not toys: What parents need to know</a>, Utah Department of Public Safety, 2026</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-studies/Documents/SR1801.pdf">Select Risk Factors Associated with Causes of Motorcycle Crashs</a>, National Transportation Safety Board, 2018</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-studies/Documents/SRR2201.pdf">Micromobility: Data Challenges Associated with Assessing the Prevalence and Risk of Electric Scooter and Electric Bicycle Fatalities and Injuries</a>, National Transportation Safety Board, 2022&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813732">Traffic Safety Facts: Motorcycles</a>, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2025&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813739">Traffic Safety Facts: Pedalcycles</a>, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2025&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.nhtsa.gov/research-data/fatality-analysis-reporting-system-fars">Fatality Analysis Reporting System</a>, 2024</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40854205/">Injury patterns and safety implications for electric bikes compared to mopeds in the United States</a>, Traffic Injury Prevention, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1">Interview: Stephen J. Mooney, Ph.D., University of Washington Department of Epidemiology, 2026</li>
</ul>

Every year, millions of Americans choose to hop on e-bikes because of their affordability, convenience and speed. They also have a safer reputation than motorcycles. But are they actually safer?

Are e-bikes safer than motorcycles?

Plastic is extremely useful: lightweight, cheap, and flexible enough to make almost anything. That’s why global plastic production has been climbing for decades. All that plastic is making its way into our bodies via tiny particles, and that can’t be good for us…right?

Clare tells Teo what we know so far about microplastics in our bodies, and why the science is more complicated than you might think.

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:
The Human Brain May Contain as Much as a Spoon’s Worth of Microplastics, New Research Suggests, Smithsonian Magazine, 2025
Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains, Nature Medicine, 2025
Challenges in studying microplastics in human brain, Nature Medicine, 2025
Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events, The New England Journal of Medicine, 2024
The Real Truth About the U.S. Plastics Recycling Rate, Beyond Plastics / The Last Beach Cleanup, 2022
How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled, NPR, 2020
‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body, The Guardian, 2026
Interview with Marcus Garcia and Dr. Elaine Bearer, University of New Mexico
Interview with Fazel Monikh, University of Padua
Interview with Tracey Woodruff, Stanford University

Plastic is extremely useful: lightweight, cheap, and flexible enough to make almost anything. That&rsquo;s why global plastic production has been climbing for decades. All that plastic is making its way into our bodies via tiny particles, and that can&rsquo;t be good for us&hellip;right?
Clare tells Teo what we know so far about microplastics in our bodies, and why the science is more complicated than you might think.
We want to answer your questions about how our world works! <a href="https://forms.office.com/r/4nGSfCuAML">Click here</a> to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org
Support the show by supporting our home, <a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/control-f-notes">KUOW Public Radio</a> in Seattle.
Sources in this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-human-brain-may-contain-as-much-as-a-spoons-worth-of-microplastics-new-research-suggests-180985995/">The Human Brain May Contain as Much as a Spoon&rsquo;s Worth of Microplastics, New Research Suggests</a>, Smithsonian Magazine, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03453-1">Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains</a>, Nature Medicine, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-04045-3">Challenges in studying microplastics in human brain</a>, Nature Medicine, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309822">Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events</a>, The New England Journal of Medicine, 2024</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.lastbeachcleanup.org/_files/ugd/dba7d7_9450ed6b848d4db098de1090df1f9e99.pdf">The Real Truth About the U.S. Plastics Recycling Rate</a>, Beyond Plastics / The Last Beach Cleanup, 2022</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled">How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled</a>, NPR, 2020</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/13/microplastics-human-body-doubt">&lsquo;A bombshell&rsquo;: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body</a>, The Guardian, 2026</li>
<li aria-level="1">Interview with Marcus Garcia and Dr. Elaine Bearer, University of New Mexico</li>
<li aria-level="1">Interview with Fazel Monikh, University of Padua</li>
<li aria-level="1">Interview with Tracey Woodruff, Stanford University</li>
</ul>

Plastic is extremely useful, but it’s also making its way into our bodies. Here’s what we know so far about the microplastics inside us, and why the science is more complicated than you might think.

Should I worry about microplastics?

Taxes on the wealthy are increasingly popular across the political spectrum in the United States. Democrats in particular have pursued taxes on the country’s highest income earners, including a tax on millionaires passed in Washington State earlier this year. But do high earners simply move to avoid paying those taxes? 

Booming host and KUOW economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg wanted to find out. So, she interviewed Cristobal Young: A professor of sociology at Cornell University who researches how wealthy people move, and how much of it is due to taxes. 

Listen to more episodes of Booming in the KUOW app, or wherever you get podcasts.

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Taxes on the wealthy are<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/19/most-americans-continue-to-favor-raising-taxes-on-corporations-higher-income-households/"> increasingly popular </a>across the political spectrum in the United States. Democrats in particular have pursued taxes on the country&rsquo;s highest income earners, including a <a href="https://www.kuow.org/stories/governor-ferguson-signs-washington-historic-income-tax-into-law">tax on millionaires</a> passed in Washington State earlier this year. But do high earners simply move to avoid paying those taxes? Booming host and KUOW economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg wanted to find out. So, she interviewed Cristobal Young: A professor of sociology at Cornell University who researches how wealthy people move, and how much of it is due to taxes.&nbsp;
Listen to more episodes of Booming in the KUOW app, or wherever you get podcasts.
We want to answer your questions about how our world works!<a href="https://forms.office.com/r/4nGSfCuAML"> Click here</a> to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org
Support the show by supporting our home,<a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/control-f-notes"> KUOW Public Radio</a> in Seattle.

How do you predict how many visitors will travel for the FIFA World Cup?

In 1 playlist(s)

Control F

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips