Sir Mark Walport publishes his annual review, Forensic Science and Beyond: Authenticity, Provenance and Assurance on December 17th. The review starts with forensics – the use of analytical science to assist the courts but then moves on to identify where forensic analysis has the power to deliver benefits to society that go far beyond the Criminal Justice System. This report explores the many ways in which we can use analytical scientific tools, combined with the approaches and skills of the forensic scientist, to reap the rewards of these benefits. The report also poses a series of questions to policy makers that point to the key areas where they need to decide whether and how to act. read more

The House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee publishes its report on GM insects on Thursday 17 December. The Committee has been investigating the use of GM insect technologies to fight infectious disease and to control agricultural pests. It’s estimated that nearly half the world’s population live in areas that put them at risk from malaria and dengue fever, while in the UK and across the globe, insect damage causes billions of pounds of agricultural losses. But the technology now exists to render insects unable to transmit diseases, and to reduce insect populations to minimise their threat to animals and crops. read more

Rapid developments in the automation of our everyday lives has prompted an internationally renowned multidisciplinary group of 25 technology scholars to form the Foundation for Responsible Robotics (FRR). We are on the cusp of a robotics revolution with governments and corporations looking to robotics as a powerful new economic driver. Despite the disruptive impact of the increasing automation in our work places, our streets and our homes, only lip service is being paid to the long list of potential societal hazards including human rights violations and the potential for mass unemployment. read more

Whilst the number of direct pregnancy-related deaths has been steadily falling, the same cannot be said for indirect deaths linked to mental health. In fact almost a quarter of women who died due to indirect effects were due to mental health reasons and experts argue that these deaths were often unnecessary. Using data from the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths (MBRRACE-UK), experts have assessed pregnancy-related deaths from 2009-2013 including reviews of more than 100 women who committed suicide during pregnancy or in the year after giving birth. read more

This briefing was the final chance for a discussion with John Tooke as President of the Academy and an opportunity to meet Robert Lechler who begins his five-year term as President on December 3, taking over from John Tooke who was elected in 2011. read more

We’ve become accustomed to a reliable supply of electricity, but short, local power cuts still occur. And every year at this time we hear questions about whether we have enough power station capacity to meet demand – and about the risks of the ‘lights going out’. What causes power cuts and what can we expect in future? What will be the impact on reliability from changes in the electricity system from renewables and new nuclear, as well as the phasing out of coal power stations by 2025? What role will smart systems play, and what measures will be used to balance demand as well as supply? A new briefing document prepared by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) explores these questions and addresses the myths and truths about power cuts and blackouts. read more

An independent review of the UK Research Councils, led by Sir Paul Nurse, is published on 19th November. The report reviews why and how the UK should undertake research. The report makes recommendations to consider how the Research Councils should evolve to support research in the most effective ways to benefit society and to how to invest public money in the best possible way. The review was announced as part of the government’s science and innovation strategy in December 2014. read more

From horsemeat to campylobacter, these have been difficult times for trust in our food chain. One of the top academics grappling with issues in the food we eat is Professor Guy Poppy, the new(ish) Chief Scientific Adviser to the FSA. After the publication of his latest scientific report, the SMC has invited Guy in for a chat about his role at the FSA and his thoughts on some topical controversies in food. read more

On 30th November, negotiators will convene for the 2015 Paris Climate Conference to try to thrash out an international agreement on climate change. We don’t know what the representatives will come up with but we do know a lot about the science behind the talks. What do the latest observations show, is IPCC AR5 looking accurate and has anything changed? What trajectory are we on, and is the policy response in step with the science? What does a +2C world actually look like, and how close are we? read more

A team at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and the UCL Institute of Child Health has used the TALENs gene editing technique to modify immune T-cells, in attempt to treat a patient with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. TALENs (Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases) are molecular tools that act like scissors, cutting specific gene sequences. In this case, scientists used TALENs to engineer immune T-cells to target leukaemia cells. This is the first time this technique has been attempted in a person with leukaemia. read more

Sellafield has amassed around 140 tonnes of plutonium on site – the largest stockpile of civil plutonium in the world. For now it is being stored without a long-term plan, which is costly and insecure. At some point a decision will need to be taken on how it is dealt with. Should we convert it into useable fuel or get rid of it? What are the options? How insecure is it in its current state? How long can this decision be put off, and why does it matter? read more

CFS/ME affects around 250,000 people in the UK and in severe cases results in patients being mostly bedridden and unable to do more than minimal daily tasks. The PACE trial, published in 2011, suggested that Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) were moderately effective ways of treating people. A subsequent PACE trial follow-up study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry in January 2015, attempted to explain how and why these therapies work and what the implications were. Now, a follow-up study, also published in The Lancet Psychiatry, has assessed the participants’ health in the long-term, and asks whether their current state of health, two and a half years after entering the trial, has been affected by which treatment they received in the trial. read more

Whether neonicotinoids harm bees and other insect pollinators is one of the most contentious questions that environmental policy makers have to grapple with today. In the last ten years over 400 scientific papers have been published on this topic, some contradicting each other, making it very difficult for non-specialists to access the entire evidence base. 18 months ago the Oxford Martin School at Oxford University brought together a group of experts in pollinator biology, with contrasting backgrounds and views, to review the evidence and to present it as a “restatement”: a concise summary intelligible to the non-specialist. In doing this the scientists aim to act as “honest brokers” – providing an account of the evidence and its imperfections but not directly recommending policies. read more

The UN’s top climate official, Christiana Figueres, was in London in advance of COP-21. Journalists came to the SMC to hear one of the most important figures in international climate negotiations talk about her hopes and expectations for Paris. read more

Treatments that can modify the disease course of Alzheimer’s may sadly be several years away, so researchers are looking for current therapies that may have an impact. Secondary analysis of the DOMINO trial (announced in 2012) suggests an off-patent drug may be able to delay the need for Alzheimer’s patients to enter nursing homes. read more

George Osborne wants the UK to be the best place in the world for research. But during his time as Chancellor, UK science has slipped back relative to Britain’s major economic competitors. Among the G8 nations, the UK now invests the smallest fraction of its GDP on research (0.44%). The UK now has an economy that is less research intensive than China. For the past five years the research base has held its own – just. But the flat-cash settlement of 2010 has been eroded by inflation, and cuts to capital and departmental spending have left the UK with a reduced research base. But as the UK is pulling out of recession, there are renewed threats to science funding. Cuts of 25-40% have been mooted, but even another flat-cash settlement would be a backward step. Five more years of decline will see further erosion of the UK’s capacity to face the scientific and technological challenges of the future: climate change, energy and food supplies, emerging diseases and our aging population. read more

The whole UK energy system faces big changes to deliver against all aspects of the energy ‘trilemma’ — cost, security and decarbonisation. Speakers from the Royal Academy of Engineering will argue that so far, despite the challenges, the system is on course to meet the targets set by the UK and the EU, but only just; and that all the easiest actions have already been taken. Government policy drives the development of the UK’s energy system, but it will be up to privatised industry to deliver and invest. What’s in store for the UK’s energy mix? And what will happen to costs and decarbonisation? The Academy considers the possible futures of the UK’s energy system in a new report, A critical time for UK energy policy: what must be done now to deliver the UK’s future energy system. read more

This briefing focused on the publication from the Home Office of its 2014 statistics on animals used in scientific procedures as well as the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) annual report for 2014. The latest figures were presented alongside responses from three leading experts who have a broad overview of animal research could give their thoughts on the reasons behind any changes in the statistics or issues raised in the annual report. The ‘Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals 2014’ is compiled from returns provided by project licence holders. The annual report provides an account of the Home Office’s activities in relation to the regulation of animal testing. read more

Animal studies are a vital part of scientific endeavour, particularly for clinical trials, but it is vital that the information gleaned from them is robust and that animals are not being put through unnecessary procedures. Researchers have been doing a systematic review of trials and assessed them for their statistical robustness. read more

The major carbon-emitting countries have now made their pledges for a Paris Climate Protocol. But as Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, recently pointed out, the driving force behind the pledges is simply “the self-interest of every country” and their pledges are “not because they want to save the planet.” This is why they don’t add up — why we will fall short of the 2 degree target. To explain why this is happening, and what could be done about it, a group of leading climate and cooperation experts take to the pages of Nature to challenge the approaches to climate negotiations, which led to more than 20 years of deadlock in international cooperation. The provocative piece should be essential homework reading for policy makers trying to salvage the Paris negotiations. read more