Rapid Reactions: responding to breaking news. The demands of the 24-hour media machine mean that news journalists often don’t have the luxury of time to track down the best scientists when a science story lands on their desks, so availability can sometimes win out over expertise. This is where the Science Media Centre steps in. When a story breaks – whether it’s the latest flu epidemic, health scare or a potential nuclear crisis – the SMC persuades leading experts to drop everything and engage with the story, then contacts journalists at all the major news outlets to offer those experts for interviews or immediate comment.
Roundups: putting new research into context. One of the other ways the SMC ensures that the media have easy access to scientists and their views is by offering journalists a variety of comments from scientists reacting to the latest research. This service differs from our ‘Rapid Reactions’ as scientists have time to react before new research is announced, rather than in response to breaking news.
With access to embargoed journals before publication, we can pick stories of most interest to journalists, asking third party experts to provide comments and information to put research into context before it appears in the media. The SMC’s unique Roundups help busy journalists critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of new research, and highlight when studies are very preliminary or display a correlation that should not be read as causation. Equally, when leading scientists are excited about a significant study this can reassure journalists that the study should feature strongly in their coverage.
A study published in Science Advances looks at deep brain simulation for the regulation of autism related self-injurious behaviour. Prof Geoff … read more
A study published in Frontiers in Nutrition looks at sweeteners in mice and measures of gut microbiome, glucose tolerance and gene expression. … read more
A cohort study published in PLOS Medicine looks at prenatal exposure to PFAS and the incidence of asthma and wheeze in children. … read more
Scientists comment on an analysis of UK pesticide usage data. Dr Wayne Carter, Associate Professor at the University of … read more
A study published in Nature looks at genetic predictors of GLP-1 medication weight loss and side effects. Dr Marie Spreckley, Research … read more
Scientists comment on Bipolar Disorder following news about Kanye West. Dr Tamara Russell, a chartered member of the British … read more
The government announced details of the UK-US pharmaceutical partnership. read more
Experts comment on an interim report commissioned by Health Secretary Wes Streeting into the rise in ADHD and Autism, as … read more
A study published in Gut Microbes looks at dietary and gut-derived metabolites predicting early cognitive decline. Prof Fiona Carragher, Chief Policy … read more
Experts comment on draft NICE guidance that recommends semaglutide to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Prof … read more
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine looks at the antidepressant fluvoxamine and metformin for fatigue in patients with Long … read more
A risk assessment published in Carcinogenesis looks at the carcinogenicity of e-cigarettes. Prof Peter Hajek, Professor of Clinical Psychology and … read more
Three studies published in Nature Genetics look at the identification of a common recessive neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD). Cornelius Gross, Head of … read more
A study published in Cell Metabolism looks at a food additive (maltol) and bone fragility in mice. Prof Tom Sanders, Professor … read more
A systematic review published in Addiction looks at the use of electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation. Prof Peter Shields, Emeritus Professor … read more
Scientists comment on Department for Education guidance on screentime for children under 5. Dr Kathryn Hesketh, Principal Research Fellow … read more
A study published in PLOS Biology looks at gestational exposure to microplastics in mice. Dr. Ovokeroye Abafe, Assistant Professor in Environmental … read more
Scientists comment on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announcing a new policy on the female category in Olympic sport. … read more
Scientists comment on Meta and Google being found liable in the social media addiction trial. Dr Thomas Lancaster from … read more
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry looks at inhaled mebufotenin for the symptoms of treatment resistant depression. From our colleagues at … read more
