Author Archives: Science Media Centre
scientists and engineers react to Queen’s speech
The Queen’s speech includes measures for building a new generation of nuclear power stations. read more
scientists react to latest figures of superbug infections
Figures released by the Health Protection Agency show that MRSA cases have fallen and C.Diff cases are still increasing, albeit at a lesser rate. read more
the rebound effect
Experts from the UK Energy Research Centre discussed the findings of their comprehensive review of so-called ‘Rebound Effects’, in which energy-saving tactics lead to a false sense of security when it comes to environmentally friendly behaviour, and may end up having the opposite effect. read more
scientists react to Science and Technology Select Committee’s report into scientific developments and the Abortion Act
The STC report on abortion includes recommendations on the number of doctors required to approve an abortion, the length of time at which abortion can be safely carried out, and the question of whether the fetus has the ability to feel pain. read more
medical advances in the treatment of pets
The Science Media Centre teamed up with a number of veterinary experts to brief journalists on developments in veterinary medicine and surgery, including whether any these advances can be applied to human medicine. read more
targeting tumours with light
Monoclonal antibodies are great for treating cancer and other diseases, unless of course they act on healthy cells elsewhere in the body. However, researchers have found a way to target antibodies to specific sites using UV light – these findings were presented at the Science Media Centre. read more
scientists comment on JCVI announcement on HPV vaccine
The Government has announced that a vaccine for the Human Papilloma Virus, which causes cervical cancer, will be routinely given to all girls aged 12 and 13. read more
scientists respond to study and perspectives article on climate sensitivity as published in Science
Two papers published in Science, from scientists from the Universities of Washington and Oxford, discuss the role of uncertainty in current understanding of climate change, and our future efforts to tackle it. read more
scientists react to the retirement of James Watson from his post at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Watson has retired from his post following the controversy surrounding his comments on race and intelligence a few days previously. read more
scientists comment on California wildfires
Wildfires have decimated large areas of California for several days and continue to spread. read more
press launch of Craig Venter’s autobiography
Dr Craig Venter is one of the world’s leading genome scientists, who is at the forefront of research in genomics and molecular biology and whose findings could have major implications for science. He agreed to come to the Science Media Centre to discuss his work. read more
scientists react to comments by James Watson on race and intelligence
In an interview, the genetics pioneer James Watson made comments suggesting that there is a genetic basis for differences in intelligence between different races. read more
scientists respond to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s guidelines on egg freezing
The procedure has been taken up by women who want to put off having a family, but the ASRM warned that it should not be offered, because medical evidence does not support its success. read more
scientists comment on HPA announcement regarding health effects of Wi-Fi
In a statement, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) announced a programme of research into the potential health effects of wi-fi networks. read more
leading scientists react to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore and the IPCC
The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was shared between Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in recognition of their efforts to increase awareness of man-made global warming. read more
study of genetic risk factors for arthritis
To coincide with World Arthritis Day 2007, the Arthritis Research Campaign announced a £2.2 million two-year study amied at finding some of the genes associated with arthritis. The scientists who are to receive the funding came to the Science Media Centre to explain why the research is needed and how they will go about it read more
The Lancet: Women Deliver conference
To mark the Women Deliver conference on saving the lives and improving the health of women and babies around the world, the Lancet held a press conference on its latest papers in this series. read more
Met Office anniversary of the great storm of 1987
The Met Office held a briefing at the Science Media Centre on the anniversay of the devastating storm of 1987, which decimated large parts of the south-east of England. They discussed the storm from the perspective of the Met Office, as well as what changes have occured in forecasting since then and what the future might hold. read more
leading physicists react to the announcement of the Nobel Prize for Physics
The Nobel Prize for Physics was this year awarded to Albert Fert and Peter Grunberg for their independent discovery of giant magnetoresistance, an effect critical in th edevelopment of computerised data storage systems. read more
scientists comment on announcement of Comprehensive Spending Review
The Government announced its programme of spending on science and health research over the next few years. read more