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 eBioMedicine identifies a possible biomarker for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Prof Peter Fleming, Professor … read more
A study published in The Journal of Physiology looks at maternal obesity in pregnancy and cardiovascular disease in offspring in … read more
A study published in Science Translational Medicine looks at the acute inflammatory response and chronic pain. Dr Franziska Denk, … read more
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry looks at neuropsychiatric consequences of severe COVID-19 and other severe acute respiratory infections. … read more
A study published in Open Heart looks at self-reported consumption of coffee and cholesterol levels. June Davison, Senior Cardiac … read more
Prince Charles delivered the Queen’s speech today for the State Opening of Parliament. Rachel Youngman, Institute of Physics Deputy … read more
A comment from Professor Sheila Bird on COVID-19 prevalence and deaths data in the UK. Prof Sheila Bird, Formerly … read more
A study published in BMC Medicine looks at dairy consumption and cancer risk in Chinese adults. Dr David Nunan, … read more
A conference abstract presented at the European Congress on Obesity looks at the effects of vegan diets on cardiometabolic health. … read more
New estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest that, between 01/01/2020 and 31/12/2021, the full death toll associated directly … read more
A study published in Nature looks at the projected environmental benefits of replacing beef with microbial protein. Dr Tilly … read more
A study published in eClinicalMedicine looks at cognitive impairment in individuals who received critical care for COVID-19. Prof Paul … read more
Katharine Birbalsingh made a comment about girls and choosing physics A-levels when addressing a Science and Technology Committee inquiry on … read more
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an update, including a technical briefing document, on the ongoing investigation into higher … read more
A study published in Nature Microbiology looks at the acquisition of drug-resistant fungal infections from the environment. Prof Neil … read more
A conference abstract presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) Annual Meeting looks at specific immune … read more
A conference abstract presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) Annual Meeting looks at microbes present … read more
The Office for National Statistics (ONS), have released the latest data from their COVID-19 Infection Survey and a technical article looking … read more
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an update on the ongoing investigation into higher than usual rates of liver … read more
A poster presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) Annual Meeting looks at a case … read more
