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.
The pharmaceutical company Biogen has presented its plans for the drug aducanumab for the treatment of Alzheimer’s at the CTAD … read more
Research, published in Cell Metabolism, reports that time-restricted eating may have benefits for people at risk of developing diabetes and … read more
A case study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, reports on an individual who developed a lung disease following use … read more
Two papers, published in Science Translational Medicine, report that Dementia has been reversed in mice with a drug that reduces … read more
Research, published in JAMA Network Open, reports that regular aspirin use may reduce risk of mortality among older individuals. … read more
A conference abstract, presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, reports differences … read more
There has been a confirmed case of the rare disease Monkey Pox in the UK, it was reportedly contracted in … read more
Three studies, published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, report on the early introduction of allergenic foods to infants. … read more
Research, published in the International Journal of Cancer, reports on the relationship between hair dye and chemical straightener use and … read more
The annual update published by the The Global Carbon Project compares carbon emissions for 2019 to previous years. This Roundup … read more
Research, published in The Lancet, reports on long term estimates which suggest links between cholesterol levels and risk of heart … read more
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued a statement on the State of the Climate in 2019, reporting that 2019 … read more
A study, published in eNeuro, argues that the symptoms of gender dysphoria are due to changes in network activity, rather than … read more
Research, published in Nature Climate Change, reports that an average of 25,000 infants per year were born earlier as a … read more
Research, published in Molecular Psychiatry, reports a connection between certain networks in the brain and risk of suicidal thoughts. Dr … read more
A study, published in BMC Psychiatry, reports that an estimated 1 in 4 children and young people have ‘problematic’ smartphone usage. … read more
A study, published in BioTechniques, reports on a urine test under development for prostate cancer detection. Dr Mangesh Thorat, … read more
A report, published by The Royal Society, reports on microplastics in freshwater and soil, and discusses the evidence and action required. … read more
Research, published in The BMJ, reports that short term exposure to fine particular matter in the air is related to … read more
Research, published in Current Biology, reports that a protein has been identified in fruit flies that can be targeted to … read more
