| When science dominates the news agenda, it's our job to pass as much information to the journalists covering the story as quickly as possible. One of the most useful services we provide is a 'round up' of reaction – a series of quotes from scientists that represent viewpoints within mainstream science. This reaction to a breaking story can be invaluable as: · a source of quotes · a gauge of what the scientific community thinks about a new development · a list of potential interviewees for print or broadcast Sometimes it's more appropriate to send journalists a list of contact details for scientists and press officers that are available to provide comments immediately. We call these our rapid reaction emails. This year's press releases are listed below:
01 September 2008 The hurricane hit large parts of the Lousiana coast but did not reach the levels of intensity of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans three years ago. 20 August 2008 Over 100 people died in the crash, which occured as the plane took off. It was though to have been caused by an engine fire. 14 August 2008 Researchers in the US found that the application of moisturiser to mice following sun exposure led to a higher incidence of skin cancer tumour formation. A number of ingredients in the moisturisers were identified as possible causes of the higher rate of tumour formation, but the authors indicated that similar findings have not been established in humans. 13 August 2008 The Prince of Wales, among other comments, described GM as potentially "the biggest environmental disaster of all time" and industrial farming techniques as producing "dysfunctional conurbations of unmentionable awfulness". He also linked GM crops with climate change. A number of top scientists set him straight. 12 August 2008 The baby was born following IVF treatment using a technique that involves the fast-freezing of embryos to reduce damage caused by the freezing process, and was reported as being the first case of its kind in the UK. 12 August 2008 The study suggested that children with poor coordination could be at higher risk of becoming obese later in life. 12 August 2008 The research draws a link between obesity, HRT and treatment with aromatase inhibitors, which together may amount to an incrased risk of joint symptoms in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. 08 August 2008 Researchers at the University of Aberdeen have found that two commonly used fertility treatments, intra-uterine insemination and the drug clomid, are unlikely to improve the likelihood of pregnancy. The study is published in the British Medical Journal. 01 August 2008 The proposed Kingsnorth coal fired power station has added to the debate over the role of coal in the UK's energy supply, and of new technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. 24 July 2008 Dr Herberman, the director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, advised employees that they should limit their use of mobile phones because of the potential link to some types of cancer. 21 July 2008 After a lengthy period of consideration, Ofcom ruled that the programme was in breach of broadcasting rules over impartiality and treated its interviewees unfairly, but that it did not mislead audiences 'so as to cause harm or offence.' 21 July 2008 Independent experts react to the announcement of a new treatment for an aggressive form of prostate cancer, which took place at the Science Media Centre. 07 July 2008 The Government has decided not to press ahead with plans for a cull of badgers to control bovine tuberculosis, following advice from the Independent Scientific Group, which was set up to examine evidence on the issue. 07 July 2008 Nuclear physicists react to the 'long-term impact' on the lack of funding for nuclear research among UK universities. They say that research programmes are unable to continue by UK researchers due to the cuts in funding. 06 July 2008 Following on from the devastating earthquake in the Chinese province of Sichuan, scientists writing in Nature have predicted the possibility of significant aftershocks, following on from the initial impact. 02 July 2008 The study suggests that men who are at risk of developing prostate cancer had their chances of doing so reduced by eating 400g of broccoli per week. 30 June 2008 The one-year licence was granted to a team at the University of Warwick led by Prof Justin St. John. They are attempting to create cloned embryos by combining human skin cells with pig eggs, which will be used in research into possible treatments for heart disease. This follows the granting of licenses to teams at Newcastle University and King's College London. 25 June 2008 The Government's proposals include increasing the contribution of renewable energy to the UK's energy supply to 15% by 2020, including building up to 7000 new wind turbines, as part of long-term plans to cut Britain's carbon emissions by 60% by 2050. 11 June 2008 The Government's White Paper on Nuclear Waste Disposal set out plans to invite UK communities to volunteer to store radioactive waste from the country's nuclear power programme in geological repositories. 05 June 2008 The new research, published by Swedish scientists, reveals an association suggesting that alcohol may reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. 30 May 2008 Many sudden and unexpected deaths of infants go unexplained, but this study provided new evidence that some may be due to infections caused by common strains of bacteria. 28 May 2008 Researchers analysed data sets of Earth surface temperature from throughput the twentieth century, and concluded that the cooling period observed in the middle of the century may have been largely a result of the methods of measurement used, rather than natural climate cooling processes. 28 May 2008 The new research, carried out by scientists in the United States, shows that monkeys can use their brain activity transmitted through electrode implants to control a prosthetic arm and feed themselves. 21 May 2008 French scientists have discovered evidence that oral HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) pills may increase the risk of blood clots in menopausal women, although patches have been deemed safe. 20 May 2008 The authors of the research conducted a pilot study to investigate the effects of introducing carbon nanotubes into the abdominal cavity of mice, and came to the Science Media Centre to announce their findings. 19 May 2008 Parliament has voted to allow the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill to go through with no major amendments; in particular, provisions to allow research using human 'admixed' (human-animal hybrid) embryos remains intact. 16 May 2008 During a debate on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill in parliament, questions have been raised about how soon we can expect clinical trials for treatments involving embryonic stem cells. Two experts in the field gave their responses. 15 May 2008 The research included an investigation into envrionmental and chemical risk factors for autism, presented as an abstract at the conference. 12 May 2008 The earthquake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, making it one of the most powerful to hit the region for the last century, and left tens of thousands of people dead or homeless. 09 May 2008 The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill is intended to bring legislation into line with scientific developments in recent years on the use of stem cells from human, and human-animal hybrid, embryos in medical research, as well as other areas including so-called 'saviour siblings' and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. 09 May 2008 The devastating cyclone in Burma left many thousands of people facing hardship and an elevated risk of infectious disease, especially water-borne diseases. Experts commented on the disaster, and the types of diseases that could be present and the level of risk. 07 May 2008 The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was asked by the Home Secretary in July 2007 to provide advice to the Government on the classification of Cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The resulting report, 'Cannabis: Classification and Public Health', was published on 7 May. 02 May 2008 A study published in the British Medical Journal has identified a rise in cases of tuberculosis in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The study also identified a global increase in rates of resistance to antituberculosis drugs. 30 April 2008 The Government's Innovation, Universities, Science & Skills Committee has published its report on the allocation of funds in the science budget. 21 April 2008 Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have developed a technique for preserving eggs from female cancer patients, allowing them to have children later in life, even though treatment may have made them infertile. 10 April 2008 The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued new guidelines on the use of additives in food, following recent research suggesting that certain combinations of additives can cause hyperactivity in children. 08 April 2008 A paper in The Lancet has concluded that a Chinese man diagnosed with the H5N1 strain of avian flu probably caught the disease from his son, suggesting the possibility of person-to-person transmission. However, there is no evidence of an imminent pandemic. 01 April 2008 Researchers at Newcastle University have become the first in the UK to create human-animal hybrid embryos by inserting human DNA from banked embryonic stem cells into cow eggs which had had their own nucleii removed. The resulting embryos survived for three days. The work has yet to be verified, and is subject to peer review. 28 March 2008 Following his condemnation of the HFE Bill over the Easter weekend, Cardinal O'Brien has said he is happy to meet with leading scientists to discuss the scientific issues in the Bill and its implications for research. 26 March 2008 The Science Media Centre asked a molecular biologist to comment on new research published in the journal Nature which used a revolutionary technique to 'silence' genes in order to lower blood cholesterol, raising the possibility of new drugs for the treatment of cancer and other conditions. 25 March 2008 24 March 2008 23 March 2008 The Science Media Centre found experts to comment on new research on mice, published in the journal Nature Medicine, that raised the possibility of using brain tissue cultivated from cloned cells to treat Parkinson's disease. 22 March 2008 21 March 2008 A spokesperson at the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) made the following announcement concerning the publicisation of a letter sent to MPs by the AMRC and the Genetic Interest Group (GIG). 21 March 2008 The Science Media Centre asked leading scientists to comment as Cardinal Keith O'Brien condemned plans for the creation of hybrid human-animal embryos as 'monstrous'. 12 March 2008 The Science Media Centre asked experts to comment on 2008 budget announcements concerning zero-carbon buildings, road-pricing, emissions targets, alcohol duty and green homes. 10 March 2008 The Science Media Centre found experts available to comment following the announcement of a review to investigate the Government's reaction to the 2007 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak. 07 March 2008 The Science Media Centre found an expert to comment on the possibility of using immunisation to control blood pressure, as suggested by a paper in the Lancet. 04 March 2008 The Science Media Centre asked experts to comment following the publication of a study into the health of nuclear power station workers, in the International Journal of Epidemiology. 27 February 2008 UK residents were woken to the largest earthquake in the UK for nearly 25 years. The quake, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, had its epicentre near Market Rasen in Lincolnshire. 19 February 2008 The paper, from a team of Canadian scientists, looked at antibiotic resistance in certain strains of E. coli, and revealed that the problem of resistance is spreading beyond hospitals and into the community. 17 February 2008 The research, published in the journal Nature, has revealed potential targets for the treatment of MS, which affects 85,000 people in the UK. The Science Media Centre asked a neurologist to comment on these new findings. 08 February 2008 The Science Media Centre found an oncology expert to comment on the study from the Institute of Cancer Research which found seven new genes associated with prostate cancer, in a study of 10,000 men in the UK and Australia. 08 February 2008 The research, suggesting that acupuncture can boost the success rate of IVF treatment, was published in the British Medical Journal. 07 February 2008 The research, published in the journal Human Reproduction, found that serious birth problems were more of a risk for fathers under the age of 20 than for older fathers. 31 January 2008 New research published in Nature highlights links between sea surface temperature and hurricane activity in the Atlantic. 25 January 2008 Leading stem cell scientists today criticised the leaders of the Catholic Church, after an seeing a statement prepared by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales that was read out in masses throughout the country last Sunday. 19 January 2008 The Task Force's recommendations included a national network of teams for retrieving donated organs, and to increase the numbers of operations. 18 January 2008 Samuel Wood, a researcher at the Stemagen Coroporation in La Jolla, California, created a cloned embryo using his own skin cells, which were injected into donated eggs. 17 January 2008 A British Airways Boeing 777 aircraft crash-landed at Heathrow airport following a probable power failure. 15 January 2008 A study of identical twins, one of whom developed leukaemia while her sister did not, has revealed some of the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of leukaemia and the role of leukaemic stem cells, potentially leading to new treatments in the future. 13 January 2008 Results published in Nature Medicine show scientists can regain some function from a dead heart by stripping cells from it and replacing with neonatal heart cells. 10 January 2008 The H5N1 strain of bird flu was found in three dead swans at a swannery near Weymouth. 08 January 2008 Sir John Took's report made recommendations in the aftermath of the crisis afflicting the Medical Training Application Service (MTAS), the new computerised system for recruiting junior doctors and allocating jobs within the NHS. 08 January 2008 The Government has announced a series of new measures to tackle and reduce hospital infections, including the hiring of specialised nurses and pharmacists. 04 January 2008
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