Tina Hesman Saey

Tina Hesman Saey

Senior Writer, Molecular Biology

Senior writer Tina Hesman Saey is a geneticist-turned-science writer who covers all things microscopic and a few too big to be viewed under a microscope. She is an honors graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she did research on tobacco plants and ethanol-producing bacteria. She spent a year as a Fulbright scholar at the Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany, studying microbiology and traveling.  Her work on how yeast turn on and off one gene earned her a Ph.D. in molecular genetics at Washington University in St. Louis. Tina then rounded out her degree collection with a master’s in science journalism from Boston University. She interned at the Dallas Morning News and Science News before returning to St. Louis to cover biotechnology, genetics and medical science for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. After a seven year stint as a newspaper reporter, she returned to Science News. Her work has been honored by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, the Endocrine Society, the Genetics Society of America and by journalism organizations.

All Stories by Tina Hesman Saey

  1. Health & Medicine

    Why 6 feet may not be enough social distance to avoid COVID-19

    Scientists who study airflow warn that virus-laden drops may travel farther than thought.

  2. Health & Medicine

    COVID-19 may be most contagious one to two days before symptoms appear

    The coronavirus probably spreads the most before symptoms appear, making containing viral transmission harder.

  3. Health & Medicine

    Just breathing or talking may be enough to spread COVID-19 after all

    Until now, experts have said that the virus spreads only through large droplets released when people cough or sneeze, but it may spread more easily.

  4. Genetics

    No, the coronavirus wasn’t made in a lab. A genetic analysis shows it’s from nature

    Scientists took conspiracy theories seriously and analyzed the coronavirus to reveal its natural origins.

  5. Health & Medicine

    HIV drugs didn’t work as a coronavirus treatment in a clinical trial

    Antiviral HIV drugs “showed no benefit” when given to patients severely ill with COVID-19.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Coronavirus is most contagious before and during the first week of symptoms

    As major efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic go into effect around the globe, researchers are figuring out just when patients are most contagious.

  7. Genetics

    ‘Human Nature’ offers CRISPR novices a basic introduction

    A film that introduces people to CRISPR aims to spark debate about how to use the gene editor.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Social distancing, not travel bans, is crucial to limiting coronavirus’ spread

    Everything from waving hello instead of shaking hands to cancelling large gatherings of people will help slow the spread of COVID-19.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Cruise ship outbreak helps pin down how deadly the new coronavirus is

    Infections and deaths on the Diamond Princess suggest that, in the real world, 0.5 percent of COVID-19 infections in China end in death.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Repurposed drugs may help scientists fight the new coronavirus

    Work on similar viruses is giving researchers clues on how to begin developing drugs against the new disease.

  11. Health & Medicine

    What you need to know about coronavirus testing in the U.S.

    Testing for the new coronavirus is still limited but could ramp up soon, thanks in part to tests developed by state laboratories and companies.

  12. Health & Medicine

    6 key coronavirus numbers you should know

    COVID-19 cases and deaths are going up around the world. Here are numbers to help you understand the outbreak.