Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to new strategy for HIV prevention, tested in mice
A Nature paper outlined a new technique that uses gene delivery to produce neutralising antibodies against HIV. read more
expert reaction to the effect of a laptop on sperm in a laboratory
A study in the journal Fertility and Sterility suggested a possible effect of a wifi-connected laptop on the health of sperm samples, when placed nearby in a container. read more
scientific community welcomes Chancellor’s £200m for science
The Autumn Budget announcement drew a great of interest from the scientific community, including a series of comments circulated by the SMC. read more
the state of the climate
In the run-up to the COP17 climate change talks in Durban, South Africa, leading climate scientists updated journalists in the latest state of climate science and the current predictions, observations and uncertainties. read more
BMJ, UCL & MMR: OTT?
Am I the only one who thinks the British Medical Journal’s call for an independent inquiry into University College London’s … read more
new round of climate emails from UEA
In response to a further release of emails from the University of East Anglia’s servers, originally accessed at the end of 2009, Professor Phil Jones and his Vice-Chancellor came to the SMC to address their contents. read more
energy from biomass: the size of the global resource
Authors of a peer-reviewed report on energy from biomass, from Imperial College London and the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), came to the SMC to describe their key findings and address assumptions about population, diet, and land use as well as the speed at which improvements in food and energy crop production can be developed. read more
where to give birth – what does the evidence say?
This briefing announced the results of the Birthplace study, which was carried out at Oxford University and led by researchers from Oxford, UCL, King’s College, City University, NCT and the Royal College of Midwives. It evaluated more thoroughly than ever before the safety, costs and provision of maternity care in England according to where women with ‘low risk’ pregnancies plan to give birth. read more
expert reaction to a new release of climate emails which appear to be from UEA
Another set of emails obtained from University of East Anglia servers was released online, apparently from the same set of emails as those obtained in 2009. read more
a low carbon trajectory for the UK
A new report from the Institution of Civil Engineers attempted to address the challenge of carbon emissions from transport in the UK by exploring some innovative new ideas. read more
is the UK prepared for a nuclear energy future?
Speakers from the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee announced the results of their inquiry into whether the UK’s research and development (R&D) capabilities are sufficient to meet our nuclear energy needs in the future – particularly, ensuring a safe and secure supply of nuclear energy up to 2050. read more
expert reaction to observations from the ICARUS group seeming to show neutrinos can’t travel faster than light after all
Results from another group of scientists within the Gran Sasso team, ICARUS, suggested that the putatively light-speed-beating neutrinos hadn’t lost energy en route, thus casting further doubt on the OPERA result. Their data were published in October but picked up by the press on 20th November. read more
expert reaction to a new version of the neutrinos experiment seeming to show they can travel faster than light
The media spotlight was quickly trained on this fine-tuned repeat of the OPERA experiment which suggested in September that neutrinos could travel faster than light. read more
expert reaction to the IPCC Special Report on ‘Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation’
This major report considered how climate change is likely to affect extreme weather events, from heat waves to floods, around the globe. read more
scientific reaction to ban on further trials of back scatter body scanners in EU airports
Radiation safety experts provided comments on this announcement about scanning equipment currently being trialled in the UK. read more
self-harm in teenagers and young adults
The SMC invited the authors of the first population-based study charting in detail the course of self-harm from adolescence to young adulthood. The paper was published in the Lancet. read more
UK scientists react to Geron halting stem cell trial
A number of UK stem cell and medical experts offered their thoughts on the ending of Geron’s clinical trial of stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury. read more
expert reaction to research looking at the brain’s reward system in excessive video-game players as published in Translational Psychiatry
A large collaborative study compared the brain structure of heavy video-gamers and non-gamers and found specific differences, although not a causal link between gaming and structural change. read more
oral contraceptives and prostate cancer
A study in the BMJ Open from a Canadian team found that countries where the contraceptive pill is more common also showed higher levels of prostate cancer. read more
expert reaction to association between the contraceptive pill and prostate cancer, as published in BMJ Open
A study from a Canadian team found that countries where the contraceptive pill is more common also showed higher levels of prostate cancer. Along with quotes the SMC sent out a Before The Headlines analysis. read more