How R Is Powering Data Science in 2026

Lucas and Luna explore why R, the 30-year-old statistical programming language, is experiencing a renaissance in 2026. They break down the explosion of the R-Universe package ecosystem—now over 25,000 packages—and how modern tools like Quarto and the Tidyverse are making R competitive with Python for data science. The hosts discuss a real-world case: how the U.S. Census Bureau's switch to R for its 2030 Census modeling saved an estimated $15 million in licensing fees. They also cover the rise of R in biotech, with companies like Moderna using R for clinical trial analysis. The episode ends with a look at why R's built-in statistical graphics and domain-specific packages give it an edge for certain workflows. Lucas and Luna also briefly touch on listener support and how it keeps the show ad-free. #R #DataScience #RStats #Tidyverse #RUniverse #Statistics #Programming #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #OpenSource #Census #Moderna #Quarto #RMarkdown #DataVisualization #Renaissance #2026 Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo