Author Archives: Science Media Centre
scientists discuss the health effects of Wi-Fi technology
Scientists gave their comments on Wi-Wi and health in advance of a BBC panorama programme on this issue. read more
scientists comment on the Human Tissues and Embryos (draft) bill
The draft Human Tissues and Embryos bill, permitting the issue of licenses for the use of human-animal hybrid embryos for research into diseases. read more
scientists react to stem cell hair breakthrough
The breakthrough, published in the journal Nature, was the discovery that new hair follicles can form from stem cells in adult mammals. read more
‘energy rumble’ – looking toward the energy white paper
Ahead of the publication of the UK Government’s Energy White Paper, the UK Energy Research Council and the SMC invited journalists to meet and question the UK’s leading experts on the hot topics in energy now and into the future. read more
bluetongue virus – a threat to UK livestock?
Bluetongue virus is a devastating disease of sheep and cattle, which has typically been associated with the warmer Mediterranean areas. However, farmers in the UK are worried that outbreaks in northern Europe in 2006 may be a sign that the virus will arrive on our shores in the near future. Experts briefed journalists on the threat of a possible bluetongue outbreak in the UK. read more
medical physics expert responds to warning of radiation exposure “epidemic”
The warning from a US doctor concerned overexposure to radiation from CT scans and was published in the British Medical Journal. read more
reaction to the 3rd summary report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
UK experts commented on the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group 3, Summary for Policy Makers. This document is the third of three summaries of the 4th assessment report released in 2007. It focused on the mitigation of climate change. read more
Managing the Footprint of Agriculture – a new report by ACRE
The environmental benefits of novel crops like biofuels have been widely reported, but there remains uncertainty over whether they are subject to the same levels of regultory testing as GM crops in the UK. The lead authors of a new report from ACRE (Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment) came to the SMC to brief journalists on the report’s recommendations. read more
experts respond to the discovery of genes which affect heart disease risk
Scientists give their comments on new research published in the journal Science showing that certain genes can increase a person’s risk of developing heart disease. read more
new research on sperm quality of men with diabetes
An expert in andrology comments on new research published in the journal Human Reproduction that suggests men with diabetes have sperm with DNA damage. read more
the reality of road pricing
Road pricing remains one of the most controversial areas of UK transport policy, with questions including what types of systems are available and how much they would cost to implement. The Science Media Centre brought together scientific experts to brief the media on the realities of road pricing. read more
police operation to crack down on animal rights extremists
Scientists commented on the news that police had raided homes across the UK, as well as in Belgium and the Netherlands, and arrested 32 people on suspicion of involvement in animal rights extremism. read more
gene therapy trial for childhood blindness
Scientists react to announcement of the start of a new trial to use gene therapy to treat blindness in children. read more
cannabis and mental health
Cannabis has hit the headlines when it is reported as being responsible for psychosis and mental illness, and scientists are still only just beginning to understand the way that cannabis may act on the brain. The Science Media Centre invited several scientists taking part in the conference to come and brief journalists on the research being presented. read more
scientists comment on an earthquake in Kent
The town of Folkestone was worst hit by the tremor which measured between 4.3 and 4.7 on the Richter scale. read more
scientists comment on new findings on volcanos published in Science
The research suggested that volcanoes might have had a dramatic effect on the prehistoric climate by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which caused warming of the oceans. read more
more human than humans – can we have robots with morals?
The Science Media centre invited four experts to discuss the ethical and safety issues that might arise from continuing advances in artificial intelligence. read more
scientists respond to news of ‘baby formula that fights fat’
These comments were prompted by a suggestion made by scientists at the University of Buckingham read more
scientist react to suggestion of tagging the elderly
Mark Outhwaite, Chairman of the British Computer Society’s Health Informatics Interactive Care Specialist Group, said: “We already use tags on … read more
risks to UK stem cell science
Members of the new UK National Stem Cell Network briefed journalists on the future of stem cell research in the UK, in light of threats posed by changes to funding and regulatory. read more