Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to anti-epilepsy drug and child neurodevelopment issues
A study published in Epilepsia suggested that children whose mothers took antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) while pregnant are at increased risk of early development issues, such as motor development, language skills, social skills, and autistic traits compared to children whose mothers did not take anti-seizure medications. read more
expert reaction to Down’s syndrome and silencing chromosome 21 in cell culture
A Nature paper detailed how the third copy of chromosome 21 that causes Down’s syndrome was been silenced in a cell culture model of the disorder. read more
expert reaction to government rejection of alcohol minimum unit pricing policy
Jeremy Browne announced the government decision to shelve plans for a minimum price for a unit of alcohol in England and Wales. read more
end of the road for the Liverpool Care Pathway: no cause for celebration
This is a guest blogpost by Helen Jamison, Deputy Director of the Science Media Centre. The ‘pathway to death’ … read more
expert reaction to publication of annual statistics on animal research
The Home Office published the annual statistics on the use of animals in scientific research in Great Britain and the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) annual report for 2012. read more
publication of annual statistics on animal research
The SMC hosted the launch of the annual statistics on the use of animals in scientific research in Great Britain and the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) annual report for 2012, and invited two leading scientists to give their initial reaction to the stats, answer questions and place any rise or fall in the context of developments in scientific research. read more
transforming the UK energy system: public values, attitudes and acceptability
Debates continue to rage over how to keep Britain’s lights on, secure long-term energy supplies and build a low-carbon economy. The final synthesis report of a 30-month UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) project on public attitudes to the future of the UK’s energy system was released at the SMC. read more
expert reaction to obesity gene, ghrelin hormone levels and brain responses to images of food
A study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation found that people with the a variation of the FTO gene have higher circulating levels of … read more
expert reaction to new research on polar ice loss
A study published in Nature Geoscience found the technology behind satellite observations of mass loss from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets is currently unable to separate long-term trends from short-term natural variability. read more
expert reaction to the Academy of Medical Sciences’ report on stratified (personalised) medicine
The Academy of Medical Sciences released a new report, ‘Realising the potential of stratified medicine’, that identifies and proposes solutions to the ongoing barriers to progress in the development of stratified medicine. read more
is the UK ready for stratified (personalised) medicine?
The Academy of Medical Sciences released a new report, ‘Realising the potential of stratified medicine’, that identifies and proposes solutions to the ongoing barriers to progress in the development of stratified medicine. read more
pre-ESHRE preview briefing
The annual meeting of ESHRE, the world’s leading event in reproductive medicine took place in London from 7-10th July. As usual, the SMC invited 5 leading fertility experts to come and talk through the most significant, newsworthy studies being presented at the conference. read more
taking organ transplantation to 2020 – a UK strategy
Despite a 50% increase in deceased organ donation, there is still a significant gap between the need and availability of organs for transplant. NHS Blood and Transplant together with the four UK health departments have led the development of a new strategy will look to achieve a revolution in attitudes to organ donation across the UK. read more
preview of the world’s largest scientific meeting on synthetic biology
Close to 1000 researchers in synthetic biology descended on Imperial College London for the 6th international meeting of BIOBRICKS, the synthetic biology meeting. The SMC invited some of the leading experts attending to meet with UK journalists beforehand. read more
air pollution and lung cancer
A paper published in The Lancet Oncology found prolonged exposure to particulate air pollution increases the risk of lung cancer, even at levels below the European Union limit values. read more
expert reaction to 2 studies on air pollution and lung cancer/heart disease
A paper published in The Lancet Oncology found prolonged exposure to particulate air pollution increases the risk of lung cancer, even at levels below the European Union limit values. Another systematic review in The Lancet found short-term exposure to most major air pollutants appears to increase the risk of being hospitalised for and dying from heart failure. read more
expert reaction to train derailment and explosions in Quebec
A freight train carrying crude oil derailed and blew up in Quebec. read more
expert reaction to Department of Health announcement introducing Genomics England genome sequencing for patients
Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, has launched Genomics England – a new government organisation to oversee the introduction of DNA sequencing throughout the National Health Service. read more
expert reaction to press release on non-peer reviewed research that suggests a link between protein in cow’s milk and autism
Ahead of a talk in London, a press release was sent out regarding research to be presented for the first time by Dr Malav Trivedi which proposed links between the A1 protein common in cows’ milk and exacerbated symptoms of disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. read more
expert reaction to Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus transmissibility
Estimates of the transmissibility of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), published in The Lancet suggest that it does not yet have pandemic potential. read more