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Winter 2011
From the Chair
Upcoming events
Eurochat
Sci Comm news
New members
Event Report: NHS reform debate
Event Report: Society of Biology report launch
Event Report: Bright Club
Event Report: Christmas party
Feature: Blurring the lines
Feature: Stem cell patents
Interview: Q&As with new science correspondents
The Last Word
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Stempra newsletter
INTERVIEW: Some quick Q&As with new science correspondents
There are a few newish science correspondents at the nationals and we wanted to introduce them to our members. We asked Nick Collins and James Gallagher a few questions about their jobs: best and worst bits, what makes a good story for their readers, favourite story and, following the success of the Science and the Media Bright Club evening, what is the funniest story they’ve worked on.
First up, James Gallagher of BBC Online - with thanks to Helen Jamison.
What is your favourite science/health story you've worked on and why?
My favourite story was of Brenda Jensen who was able to speak for the first time in 11 years after a pioneering voicebox transplant in the US. It was amazing to see the smile after her first words! But then I also love a bit of pure science geekery. A few months ago teams in Cambridge reported taking a skin cell from a patient with cirrhotic liver disease, converting it to a stem cell, using gene therapy to correct the genetic fault and then converting that to a liver cell which functioned normally (when put into mice), which I think is pretty amazing.
What is the funniest science/health story you've worked on?
I write health stories so a lot of them tend to be, how shall I put it, grim rather than funny – although you can't beat the latest trial showing that dogs can sniff out cancer.
What are the best and worst parts of your job?
The best part of the job is writing about really cool, fascinating, scientific developments. There can't be many better jobs. One of the worst parts is that the job is becoming increasingly office based with more interviews done over the phone than in person.
What makes a good story for the BBC?
Our bread and butter stories tend to be new medical developments, but anything that is interesting which can affect human health does the trick.
We also cornered Nick Collins of the Daily Telegraph - with thanks to Ruth Francis.
What is your favourite science/health story you've worked on and why?
Last summer I went to Montana to meet Jack Horner, a leading palaeontologist who advised Steven Spielberg on the Jurassic Park trilogy. It was a film journalists' junket to promote the release of the films on blu-ray, but I was there to ask him about his bizarre genetic engineering project to turn a chicken into a dinosaur (Ed. – What?!). It was completely surreal but great fun.
What is the funniest science/health story you've worked on?
Two spring to mind: "Jet Nag"(the biological reason why horses actually perform better, not worse, after travelling across time zones), and a piece of research which showed that deep sea squid mate with each other indiscriminately, regardless of sex, because they can't tell the difference in the dark.
What are the best and worst parts of your job?
The best parts are meeting fascinating people, travelling to some of the most beautiful and remote parts of the world, and the fact that every day is different. The tougher bits are the long hours and the sheer volume of material you sift through on a daily basis.
What makes a good story for the Daily Telegraph?
Something that speaks to our readers, whether it's concerning the latest research into Alzheimer's or a fun story that relates to their daily life; like the reason we can't remember where we left our keys. It's got to be something that is interesting and that most people will be able to understand, but there's no area of science which is off-limits.
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