Author Archives: Science Media Centre
Icelandic volcanoes
The ongoing eruption of the Icelandic volcano Bárðarbunga continues to raise concerns from the public. read more
proton beam therapy
The SMC hosted a briefing with five experts about Proton Beam Therapy: what it is, how it works, who it’s appropriate for and under what circumstances. Proton beam therapy has been brought to the attention of the public and the media through the case of Ashya King, a child with medulloblastoma, and two UK centres aim to treat patients with proton beam therapy by 2018. read more
expert reaction to cannabis, suicide and reduced educational attainment
Researchers have published in The Lancet Psychiatry reporting a link between cannabis use in adolescents and suicide, further drug use and dependence, as well as reduced educational attainment. read more
expert reaction to benzodiazepine use and Alzheimer’s disease
Researches publishing in the British Medical Journal investigated a link between the use of benzodiazepine and Alzheimer’s disease in older patients. read more
expert reaction to the World Meteorological Organization’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin
The World Meteorological Organization reported that the volumes of atmospheric greenhouse gases rose to the highest levels, and at the fastest rate since accurate recording began. read more
expert reaction to study mapping areas potentially at risk of further Ebola outbreaks
A study published in the journal eLife investigated the transmission of Ebola in light of changing population movement and networks, suggesting areas which are at risk from future outbreaks. read more
expert reaction to Ebola immunity generated in nonhuman primates
A study published in Nature Medicine reported the use of two vaccines to protect against Ebolavirus in macaques, with protection observed up to ten months after vaccination. read more
expert reaction to the WHO consultation on potential Ebola therapies and vaccines
The World Heath Organisation published a consultation based on therapies and vaccines under development for the treatment of Ebola, highlighting the need for evaluation and allocation of treatments, alongside the prioritisation of patient care and health worker safety. read more
e-cigarettes: a critique of the WHO reports
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published two reports calling for further regulation and the banning of e-cigarette use indoors. Experts critiqued the evidence behind the claims in a report published in the journal Addiction. read more
expert reaction to latest BIS/Mori poll on public attitudes to animal research
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills along with Ipsos MORI published a report on public awareness of, and attitudes towards animal research. read more
expert reaction to new research on activity levels and telomere length
A study looking at an association between levels of activity of overweight individuals and telomere length was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. read more
expert reaction to the discharging from hospital of the British volunteer nurse who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone
A British nurse who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone and was treated in the UK has been released from hospital. read more
expert encounter: Prof Ian Lipkin, Columbia University
Prof Ian Lipkin is an internationally recognized authority on the use of molecular methods for pathogen discovery. He was in the UK to speak at a CFS/ME conference and came to the SMC for an Expert Encounter with journalists. read more
expert reaction to seismic activity in Bárðarbunga volcano
Further reaction to activity in the Icelandic volcano. read more
expert reaction to treatment of monkeys with ZMapp
Eighteen rhesus macaques infected with Ebola were given the drug ZMapp, with 100% recovery rate, reported a study in Nature. read more
expert reaction to Bárðarbunga volcano in Iceland
Further reaction to activity in the Icelandic volcano. read more
expert encounter: Professor Mel Greaves, ICR
Professor Mel Greaves is an eminent cancer biologist and a leading figure in the study of cancer evolution – the Darwinian process by which cancer cells mutate and diversify by natural selection within our tissue ecosystems. One consequence is drug resistance, a major challenge facing cancer researchers in the 21st century, and similar to the challenge posed by antibiotic resistance to researchers of infectious disease. read more
depression and cancer
Recent studies have looked at the frequency and effect of depression on cancer patients. read more
expert reaction to e-cigarettes report from the World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) published a report calling for regulation of e-cigarette use to address health concerns. read more
expert reaction to pregnancy, antidepressants, ADHD and autism
A paper in the journal Molecular Psychiatry has reported an association between prenatal exposure to antidepressants and development of ADHD but not autism. read more