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.
The SMC has had several media enquiries on the current dry weather situation and whether we are in a drought … read more
The government has stated its ambition to make the UK a “science and tech superpower”. But what does that actually … read more
The winners of the BHF’s £30m Big Beat Challenge will be announced on Friday. The £30m award is one of … read more
The State of the UK Climate 2021 report examines the UK’s climate in 2021 and how it compares to previous … read more
Humans started domesticating animals and using their milk around 10,000 years ago, but at that time all humans lacked a … read more
Over the last few months a number of young children have developed acute severe hepatitis of unknown origin. The WHO … read more
At time of writing, temperatures are forecast to hit 40C in parts of the UK on 18/19 July. This briefing … read more
Between 12-20% of the population suffers from insomnia. It can have a profound impact on health, wellbeing and productivity, so … read more
With as many as one in five teenagers experiencing mental health problems, there is an urgent need to develop evidence-based … read more
The University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute (PSI) will formally launch this week. It will draw together academics and experts … read more
For a long time, climate scientists have struggled to link extreme weather events to climate change. This has changed. The … read more
The Vaccine Response On Off Methotrexate (VROOM) trial investigated immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines in adults with autoimmune inflammatory conditions … read more
Today, Moderna have published in a press release their top-line findings looking at neutralising antibody responses from their Omicron-containing bivalent … read more
Floods and droughts are among the costliest impacts of climate change, and changes to rainfall patterns will affect everyone on … read more
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for fertiliser and livestock feed, and hence food security. However inefficient use and lose of … read more
Today, Moderna have published in a press release their interim top-line findings looking at antibody responses from their Omicron-containing bivalent … read more
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill is due to be introduced in the House of Lords on Wednesday 25 May. … read more
A new study published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases looks at the clinical features and treatment of seven cases of … read more
A research team led by scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich have genetically edited tomatoes to produce vitamin … read more
We’ve had questions from journalists about the hepatitis cases in children, and some indicated a Q&A press briefing would be … read more
