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.
Several journalists have asked the SMC about the prolonged period of dry weather and anticipated drought this summer. Below are … read more
A study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, suggests that the Arctic is warming at a faster rate than the rest … read more
A review paper published in Nature looks at the response of the East Antarctic ice sheet to past and future … read more
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have announced that, following the discovery of vaccine-derived poliovirus in sewage in north and east … read more
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have issued a heat-health alert as high temperatures are forecast for much of the … read more
A few journalists have asked us about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, so here is a comment from Dr Mark Wenman … read more
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine looks at the effectiveness of time-restricted eating (TRE) for weight loss, fat loss, … read more
The Office for National Statistics (ONS), have released the latest data from their COVID-19 Infection Survey. Prof Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine, … read more
A study published in Stem Cell Reports looks at the generation of rat sperm cells inside sterile mice. Prof … read more
It has been reported that Sir Patrick Vallance will be stepping down from his role as the government’s Chief Scientific … read more
A few comments from the science community on the role of the UK as a ‘science superpower’ in case useful. … read more
Results from a phase 1 clinical trial looking at the use of low-dose subcutaneous or intravenous monoclonal antibody to prevent … read more
A paper published in Nature suggests cellular recovery can occur in pigs after death. Prof Martin Monti, Professor of … read more
A study published in Cell looks at the generation of synthetic mouse embryos ex utero from mouse naïve embryonic stem … read more
A study published in BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health looks at daily cheese intake with and without vitamin K2 and effect … read more
Archie Battersbee’s life support can be withdrawn today after the UN’s request was rejected by UK’s Court of Appeal. … read more
A cell study published in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease looks at the potential involvement of varicella zoster virus (VSV) in … read more
A perspective piece published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) explores catastrophic climate change scenarios. Prof … read more
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General looks at digital devices and memory skills. Prof Kevin … read more
A study published in Nature Cardiovascular Research at non-fatal heart attacks triggered by heat exposure and medication intake. Prof … read more
