Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to conference abstract about high cholesterol and survival in people with cancer
A conference paper, presented at the Frontiers in CardioVascular Biology, looked at high cholesterol and survival in people with cancer. read more
expert reaction to study investigating link between diet and epigenetic changes in mice
In a study published in Science, scientists have looked at how diet is linked to epigenetic changes in mice. read more
expert reaction to new analysis of fracking and climate targets as published by the committee on climate change
The Committee on Climate Change has published a new analysis of fracking and the UK climate targets. read more
expert reaction to a study looking at how mitochondrial and nuclear DNA matching shapes metabolism and healthy ageing
Publishing in Nature, scientists have reported that, in their study in mice, looking at mitochondrial donation, the matching of transferred mitochondrial DNA to nuclear DNA has an impact on metabolism and healthy ageing. read more
pre-ESHRE (European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology) Conference briefing
The annual meeting for the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) takes place in Helsinki from 3-6 July. This briefing offered an opportunity for journalists to hear from four leading fertility experts familiar with the abstracts and who could answer questions on the studies, as well as offer comments on the significance or otherwise of the research, the strengths and limitations, and wider context and implications. read more
expert reaction to release of dame fiona caldicott’s report into patient data
The sharing of patient data for research and clinical purposes has been a highly controversial issue, and attempts to introduce the care.data scheme in 2014 were met with concern about patient privacy and resistance from aspects of the patient and medical community. Following on from that debate, Dame Fiona Caldicott was commissioned to produce a report on patient data that could make recommendations about how to proceed with such a scheme in the future. read more
reflections on the referendum
This has been a bruising week for the scientific community. Many I spoke to describe going through something like the … read more
expert reaction to dietary fats and risk of death
Publishing in JAMA Internal Medicine, an observational study looked at different types of dietary fat intake and mortality. They reported that different kinds of dietary fat had different associations with total and cause-specific mortality. read more
expert reaction to study reporting that pasta consumption is associated with lower BMI
A group of scientists have published an observational study in Nutrition & Diabetes, that looked at pasta consumption and BMI. They reported that pasta consumption is associated with a lower BMI. read more
expert encounter with Prof Sir Ian Wilmut, creator of Dolly the sheep
Tuesday 5 July 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the birth of Dolly the sheep at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh. Dolly was the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell and became the world’s most famous sheep. On the day before the anniversary, one of Dolly’s creators (often referred to as the father of Dolly), Prof. Sir Ian Wilmut, came to answer journalists’ questions about Dolly, her creation, his work and the legacy of that work. read more
expert reaction to study looking at paracetamol in pregnancy and autism spectrum symptoms and hyperactivity in children
Publishing in the International Journal of Epidemiology, researchers reported an association between taking paracetamol in pregnancy and the rate of hyperactive and autistic-like symptoms at age 5 in their children. read more
expert reaction to tesla crash
Expert reaction to the news story that a driver of a Tesla car died in Florida in May after colliding with a lorry. read more
expert reaction to publishing of abpi disclosure database of payments made by pharmaceutical companies to healthcare professionals
The ABPI published a disclosure database of payments made by pharmaceutical companies to healthcare professionals. read more
expert reaction to the committee on climate change progress report
The Committee on Climate Change have published their 2016 Progress Report read more
expert reaction to paper looking at butter consumption and cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mortality
Publishing in PLOS ONE, a systematic review and meta-analysis by scientists at Tufts University in Boston looked at the associations between butter consumption and mortality, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. read more
brexit: now what for science?
The UK voted to leave the EU in the referendum on 23 June, a decision that will have many consequences and mean many changes across all industries and professions. Science had voted overwhelmingly to stay within the EU, citing the benefits it provides to UK research including on funding and collaboration.
Three senior figures from the scientific community will be at the Science Media Centre to discuss what the Brexit might mean for UK science- what the reaction has been from researchers and institutions, what the challenges facing science will be, and what can be done to ensure the continued strength of UK research. read more
expert reaction to brexit and what it means for uk science
Experts give their reaction to what impact the UK’s decision to leave the European Union will have on UK science. read more
expert reaction to effect of exercise on cardiovascular health in the elderly
A study published in JAMA Cardiology investigated the impact of exercise on the risk of cardiovascular events in the elderly, and reported that exercise had no significant reduction in the risk of heart disease. read more
Professor Rod Smith on HS2
Professor Rod Smith FREng is Research Professor of Railway Engineering at Imperial College London and Chair of the Future Railway Research Centre. He was Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department for Transport from 2013 to 2015, and in 2011 he was President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Prof. Smith is a strong supporter of HS2. But on 30 June he will make a major presentation at the High Speed Rail in the UK Conference in Birmingham where he will describe his serious concerns about the way it’s been designed, arguing that it is a recipe for high costs, low capacity and slow speeds. read more
statins wars – a debate worth having?
This week the SMC ran a press briefing to publish two new pieces of research reporting that media coverage of the ‘statins wars’ was … read more