Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert comments on VW emissions scandal, vehicle emissions testing and air pollution
The car manufacturer Volkswagen has said that up to 11 million of its vehicles may have been affected by the rigging of emissions tests of its cars. read more
the impacts of neonicotinoids on bees
Since December 2013, the use of three neonicotinoid pesticides as seed coating in crops attractive to bees has been restricted across the European Union. Calls for a large scale field-based experiment to determine the real-world impacts of these pesticides on foraging honeybees and wild bees in agricultural landscapes have been growing. A team of scientists from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology is undertaking an independent pan-European, large-scale field trial to quantify the impact on honeybees (and wild bees) of two commercial neonicotinoids seed treatments in commercially grown crops of oilseed rape (‘Clothianidin’ Bayer CropScience and ‘Thiamethoxam’ Syngenta). read more
expert reaction to announcement that an application for genome editing of human embryos has been made to the HFEA
An application for a licence to use new genome editing techniques on human embryos has been submitted to the HFEA by scientists working at the Francis Crick Institute in London, and is the first such application of its kind in the UK. read more
expert reaction to new study on ‘naturally occurring GM butterflies’
A group of researchers have published their work into the transfer of genes between species in nature, and report in the journal PLOS Genetics that the genomes of some species of butterfly have acquired genes from a virus associated with parasitic wasps, some of which they report protect the caterpillar species from infection by a separate virus. read more
expert reaction to Chile earthquake
A large earthquake has hit central Chile, with a tsunami alert issued but later lifted. read more
expert reaction to study on alcohol consumption, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality
Depending on extent, alcohol consumption has been previously linked with both positive and negative health outcomes. Publishing in The Lancet journal a group of researchers have investigated the effect that alcohol has on populations with differing income levels, and they report that intake was associated with lower levels of heart attacks, and higher levels of certain cancers and injury, with high intake being associated with higher mortality. read more
expert reaction to a report into the effectiveness of the antidepressant paroxetine in adolescents with major depression
Publishing in The BMJ a group of researchers has reanalysed the safety and effectiveness of two antidepressants when used in adolescents, reporting that neither was clinically or statistically better than a placebo. read more
expert reaction to study estimating the contribution of outdoor air pollution to global premature deaths
Pollution is a growing or ongoing problem across the world, especially in cities, and a group of scientists have published their work in the journal Nature which attempts to define how many premature deaths are caused by air pollution. They report that outdoor air pollution causes more than 3 million premature deaths per year which predominantly occur in Asia. read more
expert reaction to NSIDC announcement on 2015 Arctic sea ice low
The National Snow and Ice Data Center has given a preliminary announcement of Arctic sea ice levels, saying that it reinforces “the long-term downward trend in Arctic ice extent read more
expert reaction to study estimating the effects of banning trans fats in England on numbers of heart deaths, and accompanying editorial
An article and an editorial in The BMJ both address the issue of trans fats public health, with the article reporting that bans or labelling or food with trans fats would reduce deaths from coronary heart disease, inequality from mortality and save money. read more
expert reaction to article questioning the evidence on the safety and efficacy underpinning PHE’s recommendation of e-cigarettes as an aid to quitting smoking
The effects of e-cigarettes on public and individual health is the subject of an article published in The BMJ, with the authors arguing that there is uncertainly around the benefits and harms from the devices. read more
expert reaction to unpublished work on pesticides and diabetes
In a systematic review papers concerning the effect of environmental pollutants on levels of diabetes, a research group presenting their work at European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting report that exposure to certain types of pesticides increases the risk of diabetes. read more
expert reaction to SSRI antidepressants and violent crime
Publishing in the journal PLOS Medicine, researchers have used data from Sweden to assess the impact of antidepressants on violent behaviour by people with depression. Using data from over 800,000 people, the scientists compared rates of violent crime while individuals were prescribed with SSRIs versus when they were not. read more
SSRI antidepressants and violent crime
Using data from Sweden researchers have been assessing the impact of antidepressants on violent behaviour by people with depression. Using data from over 800,000 people, the scientists compared rates of violent crime while individuals were prescribed with SSRIs versus when they were not. read more
expert reaction to Cochrane review looking at portion size and consumption of food and drink
Researchers writing in The Cochrane Library journal have published their meta-analysis focusing on multiple studies which look at packaging, shape or size of portions of food, alcohol or tobacco or the instruments used to consume them. They report higher consumption levels when larger portions, packaging or tableware were on offer. read more
expert reaction to news that Luciana Berger has been appointed shadow Minister for Mental Health
The new leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has announced his shadow cabinet which includes a shadow minister for mental health. read more
Met Office Report: Big changes underway in the climate system?
Changing phenomena such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and El Nino can temporarily compete with and mask the effects of global climate change. This can make for a complex and confusing picture. A new report from the Met Office examines the latest behaviour of some of these key climate patterns against the backdrop of global warming. How are current patterns affecting the climate? What’s happening with the global warming slowdown? What can we expect in the near future? And does any of this change our understanding of the longer-term trends? read more
expert reaction to evidence for human transmission of amyloid-Beta
Publishing in the journal Nature, a group of researchers has described their autopsy examination of eight individuals with CJD which was caused by treatment with “human cadaveric pituitary-derived growth hormone contaminated with prions” earlier in life. They report the presence of markers of Alzheimer’s disease in a number of cases and suggest that this may also be due to the treatment with contaminated hormone. read more
cancer immunotherapy
Immunotherapy has been hailed as an exciting and emerging branch of cancer medicine. Over the last six months we’ve heard about promising results from trials of ipilimumab and nivolumab for melanoma, and nivolumab for lung cancer – but what might be the future of cancer immunotherapy, and might we see it being widely added to the armoury of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery for some cancers? read more
expert reaction to new study on e-cigarette use in US adolescents
The effect of e-cigarettes on uptake and cessation of smoking of conventional cigarettes is an active area of research and debate, and a group of scientists have published their work in JAMA Pediatrics reporting that in a sample of US young people, use of e-cigarettes was associated with progression to “traditional cigarette smoking”. read more