The Science Media Centre is not restricted to reacting to the headlines, and has helped scientists to more proactively set the agenda by bringing new science or evidence to journalists. This comes from our regular briefings, which take a variety of forms and cover a wide range of topics. Many are background briefings introducing journalists to the best experts and science on controversial issues like nuclear waste, nanotechnology, emerging diseases, or animal research, for example. They may also be news briefings where the SMC works with scientists to give the national media a new story on developments within science, whether it’s a report on climate change, a paper on stem cells being published in a leading journal, or science funding cuts in the latest budget. In addition, the SMC encourages leading experts to ‘speak out’ to the media about developments they believe may pose a threat to scientific research – not something science has been renowned for.
A genome editing technique called CRISPR/Cas9 has been used to correct genes in children and adults with conditions like Sickle … read more
Against the backdrop of the London Climate Action Week 2026, the Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), … read more
In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) add-on therapies are optional, additional extras offered to patients undergoing IVF which are intended to improve success … read more
We assembled a panel of scientists and engineers to try to cover everything journalists wanted to know about this week’s … read more
On Monday 15th June, the UK Government announced that a social media ban for under 16’s would come into play … read more
Medicines data, patient characteristics, and medical outcomes aren’t routinely linked, so healthcare professionals and policymakers can’t fully track how medicines … read more
Bovine TB is still one of the biggest problems facing cattle farming. For many years it has been a fraught … read more
Last year the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) conducted an updated review of evidence for prostate cancer screening to … read more
Journalists came to hear from researchers in the UK who are leading efforts to rapidly develop vaccines and therapeutics for … read more
We asked some scientists with expertise in hantavirus and/or public health responses to viruses and infectious diseases to sit on … read more
We’re getting better at producing low-carbon electricity, but engineers claim in a new report that more digitalisation is needed for … read more
Early detection of prostate cancer through screening has long been debated. Multiple trials have investigated prostate cancer screening over the … read more
There’s a current perception that we’re facing a ‘global obesity epidemic’ of rising rates of obesity in young people and … read more
Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are a large class of chemicals, sometimes dubbed ‘forever chemicals’. They are used widely in … read more
The deep sea contains a wealth of mineral resources including cobalt, nickel and copper, widely used metals that are particularly … read more
Obesity is a major global health challenge, with 60-70 per cent of adults in the western countries living with overweight … read more
There’s a current perception that we’re facing a ‘cancer epidemic’ of rising rates of cancer in younger adults. But does … read more
As part of scientific research to monitor animal viruses and viral reservoirs globally, scientists from The Pirbright Institute, the University … read more
A new vaccine trial is starting in the UK investigating an mRNA vaccine candidate against A(H5N1) bird flu, in humans. … read more
26 April 2026 marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. Jim Smith has worked for more than 30 years … read more
