Rapid Reactions: responding to breaking news. The demands of the 24-hour media machine mean that news journalists often don’t have the luxury of time to track down the best scientists when a science story lands on their desks, so availability can sometimes win out over expertise. This is where the Science Media Centre steps in. When a story breaks – whether it’s the latest flu epidemic, health scare or a potential nuclear crisis – the SMC persuades leading experts to drop everything and engage with the story, then contacts journalists at all the major news outlets to offer those experts for interviews or immediate comment.
Roundups: putting new research into context. One of the other ways the SMC ensures that the media have easy access to scientists and their views is by offering journalists a variety of comments from scientists reacting to the latest research. This service differs from our ‘Rapid Reactions’ as scientists have time to react before new research is announced, rather than in response to breaking news.
With access to embargoed journals before publication, we can pick stories of most interest to journalists, asking third party experts to provide comments and information to put research into context before it appears in the media. The SMC’s unique Roundups help busy journalists critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of new research, and highlight when studies are very preliminary or display a correlation that should not be read as causation. Equally, when leading scientists are excited about a significant study this can reassure journalists that the study should feature strongly in their coverage.
A study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions looks at the impact of cognitive training on dementia. … read more
A study published in JAMA looks at coffee and tea intake and the risk of dementia. Catey Bunce, Statistical Ambassador for … read more
Scientists comment on campaigners launching legal action to halt the Pathways trial of puberty blockers for gender incongruence. Prof … read more
A meta analysis published in The Lancet looks at side effects of statins listed on product labels. Prof Ian Douglas, Professor … read more
A study published in The BMJ looks at time trends in a male to female ratio for autism diagnosis. Dr Amy … read more
A study published in The BMJ looks at testing menstrual blood for human papillomavirus (HPV) during cervical cancer screening. Marta del … read more
A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine looks at the body composition and physical fitness of transgender and cisgender … read more
Scientists comment on DEFRA’s (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) plan to tackle forever chemicals (PFAS). Prof Mohamed … read more
A modelling study published in Annals of Internal Medicine looks at HPV vaccination status in women and cervical cancer screening. Dr … read more
Scientists comment on reports that debris from a Chinese rocket (Zhuque-3) is coming to earth and may crash into Britain. … read more
A study published in Nature looks at genetic determinants of persistent Epstein-Barr virus DNA and associations with chronic conditions. Prof Lawrence … read more
A study published in Nature looks at Google Deepmind’s AI AlphaGenome tool for predicting function from DNA sequences. Professor Kristian Helin, … read more
Scientists comment on a Nipah virus outbreak in India. Prof Piero Olliaro, Professor of Poverty Related Infectious Diseases, University … read more
A study published in Psychological Medicine looks at associations between menopause and HRT use and mental health. Prof Ciara McCabe, Professor … read more
Scientists comment on news that the UK has lost its measles elimination status. Prof Andrew Pollard, Director of the … read more
A study published in JAMA Network Open looks at the association between Generative AI use and depressive symptoms among US adults. … read more
A study published in Nature investigates atmospheric microplastics emissions from land and water. Dr Soroush Abolfathi, Reader in Water and Environmental … read more
A research letter published in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology looks feasibility of UK paediatric type 1 diabetes screening. Prof Shareen Forbes, … read more
Two cohort studies published in BMJ Medicine looks at types of physical activity and mortality. Prof Tom Yates, Professor of Physical … read more
Scientists comment on a UN report: “Global Water Bankruptcy: Living Beyond Our Hydrological Means in the Post-Crisis Era” Prof … read more
