Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to diabetes and rising temperatures
Researchers published in Open Diabetes Research & Care claim that the diabetes incidence rate in the USA and prevalence of glucose intolerance worldwide increase with higher outdoor temperature. read more
Expert reaction to study looking at health of arteries of the Tsimane group in South American
A new cross-sectional cohort study published in The Lancet reports the Tsimane, a forager-horticulturalist population of the Bolivian Amazon with few coronary artery disease risk factors, have the lowest reported levels of coronary artery disease of any population recorded to date.
nuff said about “Fake News”
I don’t know of a single fake news story in science or health. Not one – or not in national news media anyway. Yet everywhere I go people are discussing this new scourge, even in science and media circles where fake news is a non-issue. read more
expert reaction to news that the HFEA has approved a licence application for Newcastle University to use mitochondrial donation therapy
The HFEA has approved a licence application for Newcastle University to use mitochondrial donation therapy in treating mitochondrial disease. read more
expert reaction to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Committee for Risk Assessment not classifying glyphosate as a carcinogen
Glyphosate has not been classified as a carcinogen by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). read more
Natural flood management – how effective is it?
Floods are costly and traumatic for the people whose homes and livelihoods are damaged or destroyed. In the UK, they are expected to become more frequent and severe with climate change. read more
expert reaction to research on natural climate variability and Arctic summer sea ice
New research published in Nature Climate Change estimates to what extent changes in atmospheric circulation explain the observed sea-ice loss of the past few decades. read more
expert reaction to five new artificial yeast chromosomes
Researchers publishing in Science have created five new synthetic yeast chromosomes with DNA from chemicals in a lab. read more
expert reaction to letter about science funding, efficiency and waste
A letter published in the Lancet asks what funders are doing to minimise waste in research. read more
expert reaction to the Spring Budget
The Chancellor Philip Hammond, has announced the spring budget. read more
Media roundtable on sharing patient data for health, care and research
The purpose of the meeting was primarily to introduce science and health reporters to a brand new organization called Understanding Patient Data which is supported by much of the medical research community in the UK. read more
European Perceptions of Climate Change
How worried about climate change are people in the UK, Germany, France and Norway and how do they view its … read more
Brain Prize 2017 – announcement of winners
Three neuroscientists from UK institutions were awarded the world’s most valuable prize for brain research. read more
expert reaction to White House proposed budget cut to NOAA
The White House is proposing to cut the budget of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a leading government agency on climate science, by a reported 17 percent.
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Can we make cannabis safer?
In a Personal View article to be published in the Lancet Psychiatry, the authors explain that increasingly liberal cannabis laws in some countries and the increasing potency of cannabis worldwide mean that we need to think about whether and how cannabis can be made safer.
expert reaction to paper on creating an artificial mouse ‘embryo’ from stem cells
Researchers publishing in Science have created a structure resembling a mouse embryo in culture, using two types of stem cells and a 3d scaffold on which they can grow. read more
expert reaction to NICE reviewing cancer drugs on the old Cancer Drugs Fund, and recommending two bowel cancer drugs for routine use
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published new guidance which recommends Cetuximab and panitumumab, for previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer, be moved from the Cancer Drugs Fund into routine use. read more
pyrethroid insecticides in pregnancy and in children, and childhood behavioural difficulties
Researchers publishing in the British Medical Journal investigated the associations between prenatal and childhood exposure to pyrethroid insecticides and behavioural skills in 6-year-olds. read more
expert reaction to study looking at pyrethroid insecticides in pregnancy and in children, and childhood behavioural difficulties
Researchers publishing in the Occupational & Environmental Medicine investigated the associations between metabolite measures of prenatal and childhood exposure to pyrethroid insecticides and behavioural skills in 6-year-olds. read more
BPA-free plastic and mice
A new study in Nature Communications reports that fluorene-9-bisphenol – a Bisphenol A substitute – has anti-oestrogenic effects in mice. read more