The Science Media Centre is not restricted to reacting to the headlines, and has helped scientists to more proactively set the agenda by bringing new science or evidence to journalists. This comes from our regular briefings, which take a variety of forms and cover a wide range of topics. Many are background briefings introducing journalists to the best experts and science on controversial issues like nuclear waste, nanotechnology, emerging diseases, or animal research, for example. They may also be news briefings where the SMC works with scientists to give the national media a new story on developments within science, whether it’s a report on climate change, a paper on stem cells being published in a leading journal, or science funding cuts in the latest budget. In addition, the SMC encourages leading experts to ‘speak out’ to the media about developments they believe may pose a threat to scientific research – not something science has been renowned for.
The way the UK produces, sells and eats food is fuelling major problems – from rising diet-related disease and the … read more
The World Meteorological Organisation released its new report The State of Global Water Resources 2024. This annual report is an authoritative … read more
Researchers have developed a new generative AI model (Delphi-2M) that uses anonymised large-scale health records to estimate how a person’s … read more
The Blood Biomarker Challenge is a multi-million-pound programme supported by Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK and the People’s Postcode Lottery … read more
Geoengineering has been discussed as a way of cooling the planet if we don’t reduce emissions fast enough. The polar … read more
Bovine TB is recognised as a problem which devastates animals and farms. Badgers can carry the disease, and culling has … read more
People start using cannabis for a variety of reasons, such as self-medicating for physical or mental discomfort, because friends and … read more
While we have good Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) data on how ADHD medications impact core symptoms, there remain gaps in … read more
Scientists at UCL have carried out a randomised, crossover trial to compare weight change on UPF (ultra-processed foods) versus MPF … read more
A new prospective observational study is being set up to better understand the support needs of young people attending the … read more
Quantum physics has long been something that has eluded public understanding. But behind the paradoxes and probabilities is a technology … read more
Scientists from the University of Birmingham have reviewed a number of direct-to-consumer health tests that are available for members of … read more
Much has been made of the potential of genome engineering to bring back extinct species. But what about its potential … read more
The first published research findings from the Newcastle team on the children born following pioneering licensed IVF technique to reduce … read more
UK Biobank has reached its target of scanning 100,000 volunteers as part of a landmark project to provide for scientific … read more
The State of the UK Climate 2024 report provides the latest comprehensive review of the UK’s changing climate. It examines … read more
There has been long-standing public and clinical debate over the frequency and severity of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms. Some reviews have … read more
Robots and Autonomous Systems are increasingly being integrated into modern healthcare. Will we one day also have Socially Assistive Robots … read more
The first published research findings from Our Future Health data looks at whether people living with chronic inflammatory conditions, such … read more
Indicators of Global Climate Change 2024 is the third in a series of annual updates on the state of the … read more
