Author Archives: Science Media Centre
reaction to announcement on homeopathy from Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health
The announcement from Prince Charles’ Foundation concerns a piece of research which purports to show evidence in support of homeopathy. read more
comment on study into genomic sequencing and cancer, as published in Science Translational Medicine
Research presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Diego suggests a personalised blood test could be developed to detect cancer, and could be available within the next five years. read more
expert comments on new research into the fumes produced when pan-frying meat, as published in the BMJ specialist Journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine
The research indicates that frying meat on a gas hob could be less healthy than cooking with electricity, and could raise the risk of health impacts due to the fumes and fine particles given off during cooking. read more
animal diseases and food security
With livestock diseases posing a real and growing threat to global food security and livelihoods in developing countries, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Department for International Development (DFID) have announced £13M of major new research projects to tackle the livestock disease threat. The Chair of the initiative came to the SMC along with leading scientists to launch the programme and discuss the threats posed by livestock disease. read more
Science and Technology Committee Report on homeopathy
The SMC hosted the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee for this briefing to launch the Committee’s report on homeopathy, including the evidence for its effectiveness and whether it should be made available through the NHS. read more
the independent Climate Change Email Review – an introduction
The independent Climate Change Email Review was announced in December 2009 after emails from the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit were hacked and published online. Sir Muir Russell, Chair of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland and former Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, was appointed to lead the review. At this briefing Sir Muir introduced members of the team, explain the remit of the review and clarify the issues that it will be investigating. read more
expert reaction to the launch of the Climate Change Emails inquiry
The official review into the leaking of emails from the University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit was officially launched today. read more
expert reaction to research into the association between IQ and cardiovascular disease, as published in European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation
Scientists have found that a low IQ may be a predictor of heart disease and death, to a significant level second only to smoking. Experts, however, pointed out the caveats in the authors’ intepretation of their results. read more
thoughts on ‘Climategate’
I don’t suppose I’m the first person to have lost sleep over climate change but it’s certainly keeping me awake … read more
The Marmot Review: Fair Society, Healthy Lives
Prof Sir Michael Marmot was asked to lead an independent review into the perceived widespread persistence of health inequalities in England, and to give an evidence-based strategy for future policies. With the Review now completed, key authors of the report announced their conclusions at the Science Media Centre. read more
bovine TB and badgers: to cull or not to cull?
New research published in the journal PLoS ONE examines the long-term effects of badger culling and its effectiveness in reducing the transmission of cattle TB by wild badgers. Lead authors of the research presented their work and addressed some of these issues. read more
expert reaction to research in Thorax (a BMJ specialist journal) investigating a link between HRT and asthma
Scientists have discovered a potential link between the use of estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy and a raise risk of developing asthma following the onset of menopause. read more
comments on research suggesting a link between beer and bone health, as published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
A study of a range of beers has found that beer contains high levels of silicon, suggesting that it could be a dietary source of the element, although the study looked only at silicon content and did not directly investigate potential dietary implications. read more
where now for climate science?
Following the controversy over leaked emails from the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit, along with a cold winter and an underwhelming summit meeting in Copenhagen, public perception of climate science and scientists is at a low ebb. The SMC organised this briefing with three senior scientists to review the evidence provided by climate science and talk about any uncertainty in science, what damage has been done by recent scandals and where we go from here. read more
expert reaction to paper in Cell that investigates what causes sperm to start swimming
Scientists in the US have discovered a chemical switch that plays a key role in the development of sperm swimming ability and control of swimming speed. read more
experts comment on new research investigating brain activity in disorders of consciousness, as published in the New England Journal of Medicine
Scientists have claimed to have shown the first evidence of a ‘conversation’ held with a patient in a vegetative state using brain scanning technology, suggesting that patients who were thought to be unresponsive could have more awareness than previously thought. read more
experts react to the retraction of Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 Lancet paper
The Lancet has retracted Andrew Wakefield’s original 1998 paper which claimed to show a link between the MMR vaccine and autism in children, and has since been comprehensively disproved. read more
expert reaction to Obama’s announcement on NASA’s Constellation programme
President Obama has set out the future of the US space programme, including on whether future missions to the moon and beyond are likely to take place. read more
response to select committee review on principles of independent scientific advice
In February 2010, the Science Media Centre responded to the Commons Science and Technology Committee’s review of the principles that … read more
launch of new scientific committee on drugs, Media Show, the Met Office and Simon Jenkins
When Professor David Nutt called to ask if we would host the media launch of his new independent scientific committee on drugs, … read more