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Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life

Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life.

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Maths and the Mayflower

26/06/2021 GMT

BBC World Service - More or Less, Maths and the Mayflower

Are there really 35 million descendants of the Mayflower alive today?

Rob Eastaway examines the mathematics of genealogy and asks whether there could really be 35 million descendants from the American Mayflower pilgrims.

This year sees the delayed 400th anniversary celebrations of the Mayflower voyage, an event seen as a crucial moment in the history of the United States. But how many people alive today can trace back their lineage to those first 102 passengers? Tim speaks to Rob Eastaway and Dr Misha Ewen about maths and the Mayflower.

Producer: Nathan Gower 


(The replica ship Mayflower II sailing to Plymouth, Massachusetts. Photo: Scott Eisen/Getty images)

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