Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to study reporting associations between different types of sports and mortality
Publishing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers looked at the associations of six different types of sport with cardiovascular disease mortality risk. They reported that specific types of sport are associated with differing risk levels. read more
expert reaction to media coverage of ivf add-ons
In a paper published in BMJ Open, researchers looked at claims of benefit for interventions offered by fertility centres in the UK via the information on the centres’ websites. They then looked at what evidence was cited for these claims. They report that while many fertility centres in the UK offer a range of IVF add-on procedures, and provide claims of benefit for many of these interventions, in most cases the claims are not quantified and evidence is not cited to support them.
The Panorama documentary on BBC One (Panorama: Inside Britain’s Fertility Business) also looks at this issue. read more
expert reaction to safeguarding pollinators
Published in Nature, this review looks into the values of different pollinators on issues including food secutiry and biodiversity, their status and trends, risks from environmental pressures and the consequent management and policy response options to safeguard pollinators.
expert reaction to article about statins
An article published in the journal Prescriber has argued that the benefits and harms of statins may not have been accurately reported. read more
expert reaction to the Heart Cells Foundation launching The Compassionate Treatment Programme which will treat heart disease patients with their own stem cells
Researchers publishing in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle launch The Compassionate Treatment Programme which will treat heart disease patients with their own stem cells. read more
expert reaction to study looking at saturated fats and coronary heart disease risk
Scientists publishing in the British Medical Journal have reported a high intake of saturated fats could be linked to increased coronary heart disease risk. read more
expert reaction to two articles discussing the evidence on the benefits of taking vitamin D supplements to prevent disease
The benefits and harms of taking vitamin D supplements for disease prevention are discussed in two articles in The BMJ. read more
expert reaction to the Autumn Statement
In his autumn statement, the Chancellor Phillip Hammond, confirmed an additional investment in R&D, rising to an extra £2 billion per year by 2020-21. read more
expert reaction to solanezumab phase 3 clinical trial results
It has been announced that Solanezumab, an experimental Alzheimer’s treatment from Eli Lilly & Co, failed to slow the progression of the neurodegenerative disease. read more
expert reaction to Theresa May pledging an extra £2 billion to scientific research and development by 2020
In a speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Teresa May is to pledge an extra £2bn a year in funding for scientific research and development by 2020. read more
expert reaction to the ability of Salmonella to grow on bagged salad leaves
Researchers publishing in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology have reported that leached juices from leafy vegetables enhance growth and harm of the food poisoning bug Salmonella. read more
expert comments about cryopreservation and tissue freezing
It has emerged that a girl who died from cancer last month won a legal fight to allow her to be cryogenically preserved following her death. read more
expert reaction to study using CRISPR/Cas9 to partially restore vision in blind rodents
The use of the genome editing technique CRISPR/Cas9 in blind rodents is described by scientists publishing in the journal Nature with the authors reporting their introduction of a corrected gene to the eyes of the blind rats which partially improved vision. read more
The Science of Polling
The pollsters got it wrong in the general election, the Brexit vote and now the US election leading some commentators to declare election polls as dead. So what is going on? Did the polls get it wrong because of innate weaknesses in polling or is something else going on here that can’t be fixed by pollsters? Is polling finished or can it be reformed for a new world? What, if anything, would society lose if we say goodbye to poll. read more
UK Energy Policy
The UK energy system is going through a period of rapid change. The implications of the vote to leave the EU and subsequent changes within government are largely unknown. Uncertainties about the future of the energy system were already high; these changes have compounded them. The UK Energy Research Centre has produced an evidence-based commentary – addressing heat, transport, electricity, gas, and other major components of the energy system – which aims to take stock of UK energy policy ahead of the Autumn Statement, the Industrial Strategy and the Emissions Reduction Plan, and make recommendations for action by government. read more
expert reaction to conference abstract (unpublished work) on yo-yo dieting and heart disease deaths
An unpublished conference abstract discussed at the American Heart Association meeting has reported that yo-yo dieting may increase the risk of death from heart disease among postmenopausal women. read more
expert reaction to the Global Carbon Budget analysis for 2016
Publishing in the journal Earth System Science Data a group of scientists have described their modelling of carbon dioxide emissions and their distribution – known as the global carbon budget. read more
expert reaction to study describing the regeneration of functional human oocytes from discarded genetic material
Scientists publishing in the journal Cell Stem Cell have reported the production of functional human oocytes from discarded genetic material, a process which they suggest could one day assist in fertility treatment or mitochondrial replacement therapy. read more
expert reaction to study reporting on a device that restores movement to monkeys with paralysed limbs
Scientists publishing in the journal Nature have reported their work to restore movement to the legs of primates following spinal cord injury through a system of wireless control systems which linked relevant areas of the brain and spine. read more
vaping and smoking
A research letter published in JAMA has examined the association between e-cigarette use and progression to smoking in a group of adolescents in the US. read more