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 Nature, looked at a short online intervention for stress in adolescents. Dr Emma Ashworth, Chartered … read more
A conference abstract, presented at the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Annual meeting, discusses frozen embryos in … read more
A study, published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, looked at the evidence of whether noradrenergic drugs may … read more
A study, published in AIP Advances, reports a hole in the ozone layer over the Tropics. Dr Paul Young, … read more
A study, published in Nature Communications, looked at using freeze-dried somatic cells to produce cloned mice. Prof Dusko Ilic, … read more
The Italian Marmolada glacier has collapsed, resulting in the death and injury of a number of hikers. Prof Jonathan … read more
A study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, looked at 54 patients with monkeypox in London, describing demographic and clinical … read more
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released their latest data from their COVID-19 infection survey. Professor Lawrence Young, … read more
The Home Office have published the statistics of scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain for 2021. Dr … read more
A comment from Professor Dominic Wilkinson on today’s decision by the Court of Appeal. Prof Dominic Wilkinson, Professor of … read more
The Climate Change Committee have publish their updated assessment of the latest progress to reduce emissions against the UK’s statutory carbon budgets, including a renewed approach to … read more
A study published in Environmental Research: Climate looks at the extreme weather impacts of climate change This Roundup accompanied an … read more
A study published in the European Journal of Population looks at the well-being of adolescents conceived through medically assisted reproduction. … read more
A study published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine looks at the effect of a 2-week interruption in methotrexate treatment on … read more
A study published in PLOS ONE looks at settlement, environment, and climate change in the ancient world of Anatolia – … read more
At the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee meeting regarding the multi-country monkeypox outbreak held on the 23rd June, it was … read more
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published the latest technical briefing on the monkeypox outbreak in England. Prof Paul Hunter, … read more
The Office for National Statistics (ONS), have released the latest data from their COVID-19 Infection Survey. Dr Stephen Griffin, Associate Professor in … read more
A study published in Nature Medicine looks at the genomics and evolution of the monkeypox virus in the 2022 multi-country … read more
A study published in the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health looks at long COVID symptoms in SARS-CoV-2-positive children aged 0–14 … read more
