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.
Scientists comment on news that the UK government is investing in a nuclear plant at the Sizewell C site and … read more
Scientists comment on the £86bn R&D package unveiled by the Chancellor ahead of the Spending Review. Sharon Todd Chief … read more
Scientists comment on the MHRA advice on contraceptives for women taking weight loss drugs. Dr Caroline Ovadia, Senior Clinical … read more
A study published in JAMA Network Open looks at the association between psychiatric medication use and the risk of amyotrophic lateral … read more
An observational study published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health looks at the mental health consequences of low calorie diets. … read more
A conference abstract presented at the annual conference of the American Society for Nutrition looks at a new approach for … read more
A conference abstract presented at NUTRITION 2025 looks at eating rate and its effects on energy intake from Ultra-Processed Diets. … read more
A conference abstract presented at NUTRITION 2025 looks at the effect of nanoplastic consumption on metabolism and liver function in … read more
A randomised trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine and a conference abstract presented at the American Society … read more
Scientists comment on a drought being declared in North-West England. Prof David Simon, Professor of Development Geography, Royal Holloway, … read more
An online survey published in Psychiatry Research looks at the antidepressants withdrawal effects. (comment on the subject more generally, in case … read more
Scientists comment on the Enhanced Games and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Dr Martin Chandler and Professor Ian Boardley from the … read more
A study published in JAMA Network Open looks at social media use and depressive symptoms during early adolescents. Prof Chris Ferguson, … read more
Scientists comment on the first detection of West Nile virus in UK mosquitoes, announced by the UK Health Security Agency. … read more
A study published in BMJ Open looks at the association between herpes simplex virus type 1 and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. … read more
Scientists comment on an atypical case of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) detected on a farm in Essex. Prof Ian … read more
Scientists comment on the World Health Assembly adopting the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Pandemic Agreement. Prof Emma Thomson, Director … read more
Scientists comment on the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, following Joe Biden’s diagnosis. Prof Suneil Jain, Professor … read more
Scientists comment on DSIT setting new 10 year budgets for R&D funding. Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, UKRI CEO, said: … read more
A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine looks at a new CRISPR gene therapy for children with a rare … read more
