Author Archives: Science Media Centre
height and cancer incidence in the Swedish population
An abstract presented at the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology annual meeting has examined cancer incidence in the Swedish population and reports an association between height and risk of developing cancer. read more
expert reaction to conference presentation on height and cancer incidence in the Swedish population
An abstract presented at the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology annual meeting has examined cancer incidence in the Swedish population and reports an association between height and risk of developing cancer. read more
expert reaction to study on genetic alterations in healthy breast tissue cells and non-familial breast cancer risk
Publishing in the journal Genome Research, a group of scientists have described their work analysing genetic abnormalities in cells from breast tumours compared to normal cells, and report that changes in certain genes might be used as a predictor of sporadic breast cancer. read more
expert reaction to the St Albans sinkhole
A 20 m diameter sinkhole has opened up in St Albans, leading to the evacuation of several homes. read more
expert reaction to the Spending Review – scientists make the case
Further cuts in overall government spending have been heralded in the Spending Review and departments such as Business, Innovation and Skills being asked to model 25% and 40% cuts. What might this mean for UK science and engineering? read more
the Spending Review – science makes the case
In the run up to the 2015 election, David Cameron stated: “You can be assured that a Conservative government will be committed to investing in science and engineering because we want to see our strong and worldwide reputation in this hugely important area continue to go from strength to strength.” With further cuts in overall government spending heralded in the Spending Review and departments such as Business, Innovation and Skills being asked to model 25% and 40% cuts, what might this mean for UK science and engineering and, ultimately, the Government’s long-term economic plan to deliver sustainable growth, create more jobs and help secure a better future? read more
expert reaction to announcement of start of trial investigating safety and efficacy of potential new embryonic stem cell-derived treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), at Moorfields Eye Hospital, as part of the ‘London Project to Cure Blindness’ project
A patient at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London has become the first to receive an experimental stem cell therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as part of an 18 month clinical trial to find a cure for wet AMD. read more
expert reaction to the Drax decision to stop investing in CCS
Energy company Drax has announced their abandonment of the White Rose Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) scheme, blaming the recent cuts in renewable energy subsidies for the decision. read more
what is a biosimilar?
Biological medicines have revolutionised patient treatment by offering new and effective medicines for acute and chronic conditions including a wide range of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, neutropenia, cancers, and enzyme or hormone deficiencies. A biosimilar medicine is a biological medicine which is highly similar to another biological medicine already licensed for use and, as originator biological medicines come off patent, more biosimilar medicines will become available. read more
expert reaction to study investigating industrially-produced and naturally-occurring trans fats and heart health
Publishing in the European Heart Journal a group of researchers have described their work examining a possible link between trans fatty acids and mortality, reporting that naturally occuring trans fats were associated with reduced risk of death while no increased risk was seen with industrially produced trans fats. read more
six steps to tackle mental health
The financial, social and long-term health impacts of poor mental health are only just being recognised with the latest research suggesting that in the UK mental and behavioural disorders cause at least 12% of all disability. However, despite now being on the political agenda progress is slow. Over 1,000 scientists have looked at the latest evidence, investigated the impact of the most recent technological advances and come up with six steps that will have the biggest effect on tackling mental health. The report, part of the ROAMER programme (roadmap for mental health research in Europe), is being published in The Lancet Psychiatry, leads for politicians and policy makers to commit to targeted research, sharing of data and matching of funds. read more
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