Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to EU vote on tobacco regulation
In a vote on tightening tobacco regulations, euro MPs rejected a European Commission proposal to treat electronic cigarettes as medicinal products. read more
expert reaction to smoking during pregnancy and emotion in children
A study in the Nature journal Neuropsychopharmacology found children of mother who smoke throughout pregnancy may have smaller total brain volumes and exhibit more emotional problems, such as depressive symptoms and anxiety read more
reaction to story on number of homicides by people with mental illness
Mental health charities react to the front page story of The Sun regarding the number of people killed by those with mental illness in the last decade. read more
expert reaction to Council of Europe’s written declaration on mitochondrial DNA research
34 out of 318 members of the Council of Europe signed a declaration condemning UK plans to draft legislation allowing the use of new IVF technique to combat inherited mitochondrial disease. read more
expert reaction to trio of comment pieces on induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell banks
In the journal Cell Stem Cell, leading experts in the field published several opinion pieces on emerging issues related to generating iPS cell banks. read more
bees and pollution: new research published in Scientific Reports
The decline of the UK’s bee population is rarely out of the headlines, but with discussion often focused on pesticides are there other factors in the environment that might also affect bee behaviour and health? Researchers cam to the SMC to explain their investigation of the impact of common air pollutants in diesel exhaust fumes on the foraging efficiency of honeybees. read more
expert reaction to paper on bees and pollution
Research published in the journal Scientific Reports found exposure to common air pollutants found in diesel exhaust can affect the ability of honeybees to recognise floral odours. read more
why is there so little scientific research about porn?
This is a blogpost by Robin Bisson, Science Information Officer at the SMC. A slightly shorter version of this was … read more
predicting future violence among individuals with psychopathy
The question of whether or not individuals should be released from mental health institutions generates huge public interest. Mental health trusts use controversial tools created by psychiatrists to predict future violent behaviour and these controversial tools have been coming under increased scrutiny. read more
breast cancer prevention and treatment – critical research gaps
Breast cancer remains a significant scientific, clinical and societal challenge. Breast Cancer Campaign has facilitated a comprehensive analysis of the current gaps in scientific knowledge and treatment of breast cancer, in attempt to identify how to make the most significant impact on the disease. read more
expert reaction to IPCC AR5
Reaction to the fifth assessment report (AR5) of the IPCC, announced on the 27th September, from lead authors and 3rd party scientists. read more
IPCC AR5 WG1 Stockholm press conference
The SMC invited journalists to watch the IPCC press conference live from Stockholm, joined by a number of climate scientists. read more
expert reaction to ASRM/ACOG committee opinion on chemicals and pregnancy
Committees at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine published an opinion document regarding toxic chemicals in the environment which may harm our ability to reproduce and negatively affect pregnancies. read more
expert reaction to mitochondrial replacement and evolution
Authors of a comment piece in Science raised their concerns about the proposition to introduce new IVF techniques into the clinic which would tackle geneitc disease by replacing the faulty mitochondrial DNA of mothers. read more
pornography on the brain: are young people at risk?
Pornography has never been more immediately available than now, and smartphones mean parents have little control over their children’s exposure to the full gamut of sexually explicit material on the web. But what does the science say? And how do scientists even go about researching such a contentious subject? read more
expert reaction to lifestyle changes, telomere length and cellular ageing
A preliminary study in The Lancet Oncology indicated that comprehensive lifestyle changes could potentially increase the length of telomeres, the ends of chromosomes that control cell ageing. read more
expert reaction to new research into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells
A Nature paper demonstrated it is possible to reprogramme adult cells into pluripotent stem cells within living mice. read more
expert reaction to the 2013 UK antimicrobial resistance (AMR) strategy
The government announced a 5 year strategy to slow the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. read more
delaying motherhood – the science of reproductive ageing
Mary Herbert is best known for her role in the pioneering research around mitochondrial DNA transfer, but is actually one of the UK’s leading experts on the biology of reproductive ageing. Her team’s research findings indicate that it may be impossible to reverse the damage to eggs during the ageing process, and she and her colleagues are concerned that too many women are leaving it too late to start having babies. read more
the science of reducing, refining and replacing animals in research
Every year the annual home office statistics on animal research report a steady increase in the number of animals used. Yet the scientific community insists it is committed to reducing, refining and replacing animals in research. Is the UK really making strides in the 3Rs or just paying lip service to them? What is the science behind the 3Rs and what gains have been made? read more