Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to a paper on a stem-cell derived embryo model
A study published in Cell models post-implantation stages of human development into early organogenesis with a stem-cell derived embryo model. … read more
expert reaction to systematic review of happiness-increasing strategies in mentally healthy people
A systematic review published in Nature Human Behaviour looks at the strength of evidence for the most commonly recommended happiness … read more
expert reaction to study looking at vegan, vegetarian, fish and meat diets in the UK and environmental impacts
A study published in Nature Food looks at the environmental impacts of vegans, vegetarians, fish-eaters and meat-eaters in the UK. … read more
expert reaction to report from the Financial Times suggesting that the decision on whether UK will rejoin Horizon Europe research programme has been delayed until after summer
The article in The Financial Times suggests that Rishi Sunak is set to delay the decision on whether Britain should … read more
expert reaction to letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, from the Health and Social Care Committee about imposing heavier restrictions on disposable vapes to limit child use
A letter from the Health and Social Care Committee urges the government to impose heavier restrictions on disposable vapes to … read more
expert reaction to reports of new Meta large language model, Llama 2
There have been reports of a new large language model from Meta, Llama 2 (Large Language Model Meta AI). … read more
expert reaction to randomised control trial of hearing aids for cognitive decline
Results of trial looking at the use of hearing aids for cognitive decline has been published in The Lancet. … read more
expert reaction to the government’s climate change impacts adaptation plan, NAP3
The government have published their Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) which sets out a five-year plan to tackle climate change … read more
expert reaction to results from Eli Lilly on its anti-amyloid drug donanemab
Results from Eli Lilly’s TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 Randomized Clinical Trial looking at the use of donanemab in early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease … read more
expert reaction to ongoing heatwaves in Europe and the US
We’ve had a lot of questions from journalists about the ongoing heatwaves in Europe and the US, so here are … read more
expert reaction to UKHSA statement on two additional detections of avian flu in poultry workers
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have published their latest technical briefing on avian influenza, reporting on 2 additional asymptomatic … read more
expert reaction to UKHSA risk assessment for measles resurgence in the UK, reporting that London is at risk of measles outbreaks
A press release from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) states that, unless MMR vaccination rates improve, London could be at … read more
expert reaction to IARC and JEFCA summary on aspartame
The summary of findings from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluation of hazard, and Joint Food and … read more
The increased need for cooling at +1.5 °C vs +2.0 °C
The chances of limiting global mean temperature rise to 1.5°C are decreasing. A new modelling paper published in Nature Sustainability … read more
expert reaction to the annual statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures in the UK for 2022
The statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain for 2022 have been published by the Home Office. … read more
expert reaction to current heatwave conditions in mainland Europe
We’ve had a few questions from journalists about the current European heatwave, so here are some comments from scientists in … read more
expert reaction to study presenting Med-PaLM, a large language model (LLM) for answering medical questions, and a benchmark for assessing how well LLMs can answer medical questions
A study published in Nature looks at the use of large language models (LLMs) for medical question-answering. Prof Maria … read more
expert reaction to the Anthropocene Working Group choosing Crawford Lake as the primary marker to identify the start of the Anthropocene epoch
The Anthropocene Work Group have proposed that Crawford Lake in Canada serve as a reference site for studying the Anthropocene … read more
expert reaction to SACN (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition) statement on processed foods and health
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) have published their report providing an overview of the current available evidence on processed … read more
expert reaction to study suggesting hairdressers, beauticians, and accountants may be at heightened risk of ovarian cancer
A study published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine looks at occupational environment and ovarian cancer risk. Prof Paul Pharoah, … read more