Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to dementia screening
Writing in the British Medical Journal, a group of UK and Australian experts said a political drive to screen older people for minor memory changes is leading to unnecessary investigation and potentially harmful treatment, claiming up to 23% of non-demented older people could labelled with dementia. read more
stem cell promises and pitfalls: meet mesenchymal stem cells
The identity, capabilities and sources of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been the subject of great controversy among researchers. Where is research on MSCs at, and why have these cells been at the centre of recurring debates about what they can do and how they might truly be used in therapies? read more
shale gas and fracking
Shale gas extraction has become a polarised issue with claims and counterclaims on each side of the debate and it’s hard to know what’s true. This background briefing featured four senior experts with knowledge of the major issues around shale gas and fracking. read more
expert reaction to new research into the efficacy of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation
A study in The Lancet found electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), with or without nicotine, were modestly effective at helping smokers to quit, with similar achievement of abstinence as with nicotine patches. read more
expert reaction to brain training video game
Research, published in Nature, suggested video-game-based training may be able to repair age-related declines in older individuals’ multitasking and cognitive-control abilities. read more
expert reaction to high blood pressure and carotid body denervation
A paper in Nature Communications demonstrated a technique – carotid body denervation – that lowered blood pressure in rats. read more
expert reaction to Fukushima water leak and proposed containment measures
The Japanese government announced plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into measures to stop the Fukushima nuclear plant leaking radioactive water. read more
expert Q&A on alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria
By Prof Alastair Hay, Professor of Environmental Toxicology, University of Leeds. read more
expert reaction to alcohol, puberty, time until first pregnancy and breast disease in women
A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute linked increased breast cancer risk to drinking between early adolescence and first full-term pregnancy. read more
expert reaction to brain organoids
A Nature paper described how human stem cells could be used to build a three dimensional tissue culture with the same structure as seen in the human brain. The ‘organoids’ open up new ways to study early human brain development. read more
expert reaction to global surface temperatures and Pacific cooling
A study published in Nature suggested the current hiatus in global warming is part of natural climate variability, due to recent cooling of tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures. read more
expert reaction to the badger cull beginning in Somerset
The long-proposed badger cull commenced in England, with controlled shootings going ahead in Somerset and Gloucestershire. read more
expert reaction to alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria
Syrian opposition activists claimed the military used chemical weapons in Ghouta, on the outskirts of Damascus, killing hundreds. read more
expert reaction to surveillance and pandemic potential of H7N9 avian flu
Analyses of the evolutionary history of recently emerged H7N9 influenza virus, published in Nature, indicate that additional H7 viruses potentially pose further threats and suggests long-term influenza surveillance is essential. read more
expert reaction to the radioactive water leak at Fukushima
300 tonnes of radioactive water has leaked into the ground at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant according to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). read more
expert reaction to new study on predicting suicide
Findings from a small sample of men in Molecular Psychiatry showed blood biomarkers that may be associated with suicidal states, potentially providing clues about the biological mechanisms that underlie suicidal thinking and behaviour. read more
HIV and healthcare workers – plans to update HIV regulations
The Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies came to the SMC to brief journalist on plans to update HIV regulations. read more
expert reaction to obesity in mothers and heart health in their adult offspring
A study published in the BMJ found children of obese and overweight women had a higher risk of early cardiovascular death as adults. read more
expert reaction to sugar consumption, reproductive success and mortality in mice
Nature Communications published an animal study which found the consumption of comparatively low amounts of sugar decreases the competitive performance and reproductive output in the mice studied. read more
ash dieback fight-back: new Facebook game
The creation of a new Facebook game means members of the public will soon be able to help identify the clues needed to restore our ash woodlands to long-term health in the face of the ash dieback outbreak that is threatening to eliminate significant proportions of the UK’s ash tree population. read more