Author Archives: Science Media Centre
food for the future: the potential of GM animals
The SMC invited one of the UK’s leading experts on GM animals, Professor Helen Sang, to describe some of the on-going applications of GM technologies in farm animals and the issues around regulation and public acceptance. read more
expert reaction to all major supermarkets except Waitrose withdrawing ban on GM-fed birds
The supermarket chains Tesco and the Co-operative announced that their poultry would no longer be reared on feed that was guaranteed non-GM, following similar decisions already taken by Morrisons and Asda. read more
expert reaction to death of IVF pioneer Bob Edwards
Sir Robert Edwards died aged 87. In the 1970s Edwards and colleagues developed the first IVF technique which led to the birth of Louise Brown, the first ‘test tube baby’. read more
expert reaction to news of bute found in corned beef products
Asda announced that it was recalling its budget corned beef after low levels of phenylbutazone – the veterinary pain killer known as bute – were detected. read more
expert encounter with Professor Sir John Beddington
The Science Media Centre invited Professor Sir John Beddington into the SMC for a valedictory on his time as Chief Scientific Advisor to Government. read more
BNA festival of neuroscience: the moody brain
The Science Media Centre and British Neuroscience Association joined together to run a pre-conference briefing on research being presented at the BNA Festival of Neuroscience at the Barbican Centre in London. read more
expert reaction to new research on red meat and cardiovascular disease
Nature Medicine published a study suggesting the nutrient l-carnitine, found in red meat, is associated with cardiovascular disease, but that gut … read more
expert reaction to emergence of new strain of bird flu in China
Further cases of infection with the H7N9 bird flu virus have been reported. read more
expert reaction to the Environmental Audit Committee’s Pollinators and Pesticides report
Parliament’s cross-party Environmental Audit Committee has recommended introducing a precautionary moratorium on three neonicotinoid pesticides linked to the decline of pollinators. read more
expert encounter: Ian Boyd on bees and neonicotinoids
On 15 March 2013, Britain abstained in the EU vote on suspension of neonicotinoids. More recently a Defra assessment including new results from a study carried out by FERA has concluded that available evidence is not currently sufficient to warrant a change in the law on use of this class of insecticide. read more
expert reaction to new study into baldness and coronary heart disease
An analysis in the BMJ Open suggested a link between male pattern baldness and an increased risk of coronary heart disease, but only on the top/crown of the head, rather than at the front. read more
expert reaction to emergence of new strain of bird flu in China
At the time of writing, seven cases of the bird flu virus H7N9 had been reported in China, with three deaths. read more
NHS press officers have a bad reputation: perhaps it’s time they had their own PR campaign
This is a guest blogpost by Helen Jamison, Deputy Director of the Science Media Centre and originally appeared on Independent Voices … read more
expert reaction to Antarctic sea ice paper
A study published in Nature Geoscience suggests climate warming has led to Antarctic sea ice expansion, due to cool freshwater from melt beneath the Antarctic ice shelves insulating offshore sea ice from the warming ocean beneath. read more
strengthening academic psychiatry in the UK
Concerns have been raised about the recruitment and training of psychiatrists in the UK, and the Academy of Medical Sciences has identified psychiatry as a vulnerable academic discipline. This briefing marked the launch of the Academy of Medical Sciences report ‘Strengthening Academic Psychiatry’ and shared the recommendations made by an expert working group chaired by Sir David Carter. read more
expert reaction to Italian stem cell therapy ruling
Patients successfully lobbied the Italian government to allow an unproven stem cell therapy in public hospitals, overriding the Italian regulators. read more
expert reaction to FERA study / Defra analysis of neonicotinoids and bumble bee colony decline
A report by the published by the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), and an accompanying analysis by Defra, concluded there was no link between bee health and exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides. read more
expert reaction to insecticides on the honey bee brain
Research in Nature Communications detailed an underlying cellular mechanism for the neuronal dysfunction in the honeybee brain caused by some types of pesticides, including neonicotinoids and organophosphates. read more
expert reaction to Government announcements on nuclear R&D
The Government’s Nuclear Industry Strategy was announced at the same time as a report from an ad hoc Nuclear R&D Advisory Board, under the leadership of Chief Scientist Sir John Beddington, which looked at the implications for R&D of a wide range of nuclear futures. read more
nuclear research and development
In 2012 the Government established an ad hoc Nuclear R&D Advisory Board, under the leadership of Chief Scientist Sir John Beddington, to look at the implications for R&D of a wide range of nuclear futures. The report set out a route to help the UK to return to the international “top table” in relation to nuclear research. read more