Author Archives: Science Media Centre
50 active years after 50
50 active years after 50 is a research initiative aimed at increasing the quality of life for older people. It draws together multiple research projects, funded by research councils, charities and industry and led by the Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (iMBE) at the University of Leeds. This briefing featured scientists involved in the initiative talking about how the combined expertise of scientists, engineers, medics and clinicians will lead to the development of new implants, heart valves, tendons and joints that will allow us to remain active in line with increasing life spans. The speakers illustrated their points with the aid of a skeleton on a bike. read more
launch of Declaration on Mental Health
A group of scientists and public figures have launched a Declaration on Mental Health that has been signed by many of the UK’s most influential psychiatrists and mental health experts, and calls on government and other funding agencies to commit to increased investment in mental health research and a ‘re-balancing’ of funding priorities. The SMC invited a panel of leading mental health researchers and scientists to explain why they are supporting the declaration and outline some of the background to the issues. read more
the climate series: the future of flooding
This briefing, held to preview a meeting at the Royal Academy of Engineering, and in association with the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management, examined the UK’s present strategy for dealing with the threat of major flooding events, which are predicted to become more frequent in the future. read more
the climate series: global oil depletion
In the first of a series of climate change-related briefings in the run-up to key negotiations taking place in Copenhagen in December, this briefing marked the publication of a new report by the UK Energy Research Centre on best estimates of when global oil production could peak, and how this can be reconciled with rising demand. read more
comments on the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009
The prize was shared between Dr Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, a research fellow at Trinity College Cambridge, Thomas Steitz from Yale University, and Ada Yonath from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, for work on mapping the structure of the ribosome, the protein-manufacturing centre of the cell. read more
new research on asthma
A paper from scientists at the Universities of Brighton and Dundee found that a gene change could make common asthma medication less effective in certain individuals, and could increase the risk of asthma attacks. However the researchers stressed that this was a preliminary finding, and asthma sufferers should not stop using their medication. read more
experts comment on the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2009
This year’s prize for Physics went to Chinese-born British resident Charles Kao, for his work on the transmission of light over long distances through fibre optic cables. Two Americans, Willard Sterling Boyle and George Smith, shared the other half of the prize for inventing the charged-coupled device, which is today used in products such as digital cameras and surgical instruments. read more
experts comment on new research into asthma as published in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology
The research, from scientists at the Universities of Brighton and Dundee, found that a gene change could make common asthma medication less effective in certain individuals, and could increase the risk of asthma attacks. However the researchers stressed that this was a preliminary finding, and asthma sufferers should not stop using their medication. read more
the future of medicine: nanotechnology and magnets
Nanotechnology is offering medicine brand new ways of dealing with disease using ideas that would have been only science fiction just a few years ago. The SMC invited journalists to come and hear from some top experts who are using nanotechnology and magnets to potentially both diagnose and treat cancer, and to find out how close these techniques are to reality, how much they might cost, and whether public perception of nanotechnology is likely to be a hurdle. read more
experts comment on the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009
This year’s prize was won by three American researchers – Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak – for their discovery of how the body protects the genetic code from damage with age – through specialised proteins called telomeres and an associated enzyme, telomerase. read more
expert reaction to Independent story on funding of hybrid research
A front page story in the Independent claims that much-publicized research using human-animal hybrid embryos is in danger of coming to an end due to lack of funding. read more
report on dementia: ethical issues
This Nuffield Council on Bioethics press briefing marked the publication of a new report on the ethical dilemmas faced by people with dementia and those who care for them. The report addresses questions including how to tackle the social stigma of dementia and whether enough resources are being allocated for care and research. read more
expert reaction to events in Sumatra and Samoa
Within a day of each other, a large earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra while a tsunami triggered another large earthquake which struck the Pacific islands of Samoa and Tonga. The two events are unrelated. read more
expert reaction to the death of a teenage girl following a dose of Cervarix
The girl, aged 14, died after receiving the cervarix vaccine, which protects against the human papilloma virus (HPV), the cause of a large number of cases of cervical cancer. So far, however, no link has been proved between the two events. read more
expert reaction to DEFRA Soil Strategy report
The report looks into the safeguarding of the soil of UK land, preserving its quality and defending against soil erosion and other such threats. read more
expert reaction to water on the moon
More water has been found on the moon than was previously thought to be there, raising more questions over the likelihood of life. read more
experts react to news of an HIV vaccine
A trial carried out in Thailand found that a combination of two vaccines lowered the risk of contracting HIV by 31.2%. This is the first significant evidence for a preventative vaccine for HIV, though experts remained cautious over the results’ interpretation. read more
cybersecurity
This briefing marked the opening of the Centre for Information Technologies (CSIT), based at Queen’s University Belfast. The centre addresses cybercrime issues as well as developing AI applications for tackling conventional crime. Issues under discussion included the real time analysis of internet traffic to identify and stop threatening behaviour, AI technology to analyse CCTV footage, and high-speed data processors to combat internet malware. read more
expert reaction to evidence review of the association between influenza and heart attacks, as published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases
The review concluded that influenza can be a risk factor for heart attacks and cardiovascular death, but that this risk is reduced by influenza vaccination. read more
expert reaction to new research on hormone replacement therapy, as published in The Lancet
The research found a link between use of a form of HRT and higher mortality rates in lung cancer, adding to concerns over the potential health impacts of HRT use. read more