Author Archives: Science Media Centre
Home Office annual statistics on animal research
Once again, as in previous years, the SMC hosted the launch of the annual report and statistics on the numbers of animals used in scientific procedures in research, featuring, as usual, independent scientists to give scientific background and context. read more
reaction to report on annual statistics on animal research
Scientists and experts react to the annual statistics on the numbers of animals used in scientific research procedures, as published by the Home Office. read more
leading pharmacologist calls for life-saving drug to be more freely available
Leading pharmacologist Prof Les Iversen believes that Michael Jackson could have been one of the several thousand people who die every year from an overdose of opiates. He also thinks that many of these lives could be saved by a simple and safe drug, naloxone, that can prevent death. Prof Iversen came to the SMC to explain the way the drug works and elaborate on his call for this drug to be made more freely available and to explain what the problems are in implementing this policy in Britain. read more
experts comment on the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan
The UK government has published a White Paper on future energy strategies, including plans to increase sources of renewable energy and set targets on greenhouse gas emissions. read more
swine flu mortality models
Current methods for assessing H1N1 influenza mortality rates are widely regarded as flawed, and a group of experts have been investigating how these predictions are made and how they can be made more accurate. Their research is due to be published in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday 15th July, and members of the group came to the SMC to brief journalists on questions including why current mortality models are wrong, how many deaths we can really expect, and how accurate the numbers might be. read more
there’s life in the old dog yet: in defence of journalism
Any notion that the 6th World Conference of Science Journalists held in London last week was going to be a tame, cosy … read more
The Lancet briefing on Hannah Clark
Hannah Clark, who had a donor heart grafted onto her own after suffering heart failure as a baby, has made a full recovery. After a decade, the donor heart was removed as her own heart had recovered sufficiently to operate on its own. Three and a half years after this second operation, Hannah’s full story is told in a Lancet article and featured in this Lancet briefing. read more
comment on genetics and obesity story
An expert comments on a study that has found a link in levels of obesity between parents and children, but only between the same gender (ie mothers and daughters, or fathers and sons). read more
scientists comment on latest deaths from swine flu
Scientists give their expert opinion on the latest deaths from swine flu in the UK – a family doctor and a six-year-old girl – taking the UK total of confirmed and suspected deaths to 17. read more
experts comment on Nature swine flu paper
Tests on the H1N1 flu virus show that it penetrates deeper into the respiratory system than the regular seasonal flu virus, and as a result causes more damage and has a more prolonged effect than seasonal flu. read more
comment on new research on the antipsychotic drug clozapine, as published in The Lancet
An analysis of ten years’ medical records for 67,000 people in Finland found that giving the drug to schizophrenia patients is associated with a reduction in death rates by 26 per cent. This has lead to more controversy, as the drug, clozapine, is widely regarded as the most effective treatment for schizophrenia but its availability has often been restricted due concerns over its safety. read more
expert comments on first UK death from swine flu with no underlying health complications
All previous UK deaths from swine flu have been in patients with underlying health conditions such as asthma. However, experts emphasised that this development is not unexpected. read more
experts react to paper in Stem Cells and Development reporting the creation of human sperm from embryonic stem cells
Scientists at Newcastle University have demonstrated the creation of sperm-like cells from human embryonic stem cells, which could be a means of understanding and treating male infertility. However, experts questioned to what extent the resulting cells could be described as ‘true sperm’, describing them more as ‘sperm-like’ cells. read more
expert reaction to Nature paper on drug that extends lifespan in mice
US scientists have found that rapamycin, a drug discovered in the soil of a South Pacific island in the 1970s, may have the effect of extending lifespan when given to mice. However, experts warned against using it for this purpose, as it can also suppress the immune system. read more
expert reaction to research into genetically modified, salt-tolerant plants, as published in The Plant Cell journal
A collaboration between scientists in Adelaide and Cambridge has resulted in the production of genetically modified cereal crops that have a high salt tolerance and can grow in salty water, and could potentially be used to alleviate hunger in the world’s poorest countries. read more
House of Lords report on genomics
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has published a report on Genomic Medicine, which includes an examination of the future of this area of science and its potential for healthcare services in the UK. Members of the special sub-committee behind the report came to the SMC to brief journalists on their findings. read more
experts react to House of Lords report on Genomic Medicine
The report, from the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee, considers the future of genomic medicine and its potential impacts on healthcare. read more
Government summit on dementia research
The UK’s two leading dementia charities, the Alzheimer’s Research Trust and Alzheimer’s Society, are releasing a joint statement urging the government to use this influential summit to draw-up a plan that will put the UK in a leading position to defeat dementia. To coincide with this, the SMC invited four of the UK’s leading dementia scientists taking part in the summit to brief journalists on the UK’s strengths and weaknesses in dementia research, and their views on what the government should change. read more
IVF Mix-Ups and pre-ESHRE Question Time
On the eve of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) annual conference, the biggest of its kind in Europe, the Science Media Centre invited four leading fertility experts to brief journalists on IVF mix-ups, where errors occur during IVF cycles (eg the wrong sperm used to fertilise an egg, or vice-versa) and to answer their questions on other topical controversies in fertility science. read more
expert comments on new research into stem cells, as published in Nature
A paper published in Nature has shown that different genes are involved in different stages in stem cell development, suggesting that features of adult stem cells cannot be directly inferred from studying stem cells at earlier stages of development. Scientists say the finding illustrates the amount they have yet to learn about stem cell characteristics and development. read more