Rise of the scientific superpowers
Is the UK slipping behind as a ‘scientific superpower’? The Royal Society published a report yesterday that shows that a new group of countries including China, Brazil and India are 'emerging as new...
View ArticleA ‘Friday’ thought – it comes before Saturday...
I’m probably in danger of sounding like I’m contradicting our longstanding safety advice, but … I’m very much in support of Clare Battershall pilfering her weekly food shopping from the supermarket’s...
View ArticleIs vitamin D a cure for food allergy?
With the reported incidence of allergy rising lots of research is underway to find out the factors that may be involved. The latest piece of research published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical...
View ArticleA war against pseudoscience
I wanted to add a few words of support for the Government Chief Scientific Adviser John Beddington’s ‘war against bad science’. At an annual conference of scientific civil servants last month,...
View ArticleTime to speak out or a time to remain silent: is it right to communicate...
It’s no secret that I’m a big supporter of engaging the general public in science, so it’s been great to see the huge range of events that have been put on to celebrate National Science and Engineering...
View ArticleAre we enlightening? Or getting blogged down?
There’s been some discussion recently about whether the blogosphere is nothing more than an empty bubble. When blogging took off, many people hoped that it would lead to a stream of ‘bloggate’ exposés,...
View ArticleConcerns about recycled food packaging
On BBC Breakfast on Tuesday morning there was a report, featuring our very own Terry Donohoe, Head of Chemical Safety Division, about the safety of using recycled cardboard in food packaging. Terry...
View ArticleConcerns 'expressed' over breast milk ice cream
With the start of Lent upon us, I’ve found something that I think I’ll have no trouble giving up – breast milk ice cream (although it’s not quite in the spirit of Lent since I’ve never tried it). You...
View ArticleWhat matters to you? The big debate
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is hosting a debate to gauge national well-being in the UK. The aim is to explore issues beyond how the economy is doing and find out what else is important to...
View ArticleLies, damned lies, and statistics
While Andrew’s off recharging his batteries, I thought I’d draw your attention to an article on ‘curbing the media hyperbole when reporting on statistics’ that was in last week’s New Scientist – I know...
View ArticleCancer patients more at risk of listeria
Many people know that pregnant women should avoid soft mould-ripened cheese and pâté, but fewer are aware that cancer patients should also avoid these ready-to-eat foods for the same reason...
View ArticleThe end is nigh for BSE
The New Scientist had good news last week, reporting on the latest official figures from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), which show BSE has almost been eradicated – just 25 years after...
View ArticleA rule that's made to be broken
The Last Word section of New Scientist magazine this week illustrates beautifully the conflict in our lives between what we know scientifically and what we do. Last Word publishes questions from...
View ArticlePrions transmitted by aerosol
BSE is an emotive subject, so I was surprised that new research demonstrating the transmission of prions (the infectious agent that cause BSE) by aerosol, slipped out last week without furore.The...
View ArticleIs a new era of trust in science on the Horizon?
There is one question that we’re constantly striving to answer – why do so many people distrust science?On a Horizon programme tonight, Nobel Prize winner Sir Paul Nurse explores this and asks why...
View ArticleWhat are the risks from nanofoods? Help is at hand…
Depending on your views on new technology, nanotechnology is either an exciting development with huge potential benefits or another thing we need to worry about when we buy food. My view is that we...
View ArticleHow does weaning affect allergy development?
As Head of Food Allergy at the FSA, I'd like to draw attention to an article published in the BMJ today, by researchers at UCL, that suggests babies might benefit from being given solids earlier than...
View ArticleGM chickens to stop spread of bird flu
The news that researchers have produced a GM chicken that stops them transmitting avian flu raises interesting questions about our attitudes to the use of technology to produce the food we eat. Some...
View ArticleDoes illegal mean unsafe?
You may have seen the recent stories in the news about dioxin-contaminated eggs coming to the UK from Germany. Although eating these products is not considered to be a health concern, this story still...
View ArticleAn eggstraordinary invention
As I enjoyed a fine breakfast of British soft-boiled eggs, in the knowledge that they are as safe as they are delicious, I came across a story of fake eggs in China.In the UK we’ve had counterfeit...
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