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.
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All Stories by Tina Hesman Saey
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Genetics
Human genes often best Neandertal ones in brain, testes
Differing activity of human and Neandertal versions of genes may help explain health risks.
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Health & Medicine
For Ebola patients, a few signs mean treatment’s needed — stat
A few criteria may help identify Ebola patients who need the most care.
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Genetics
Human gene editing therapies are OK in certain cases, panel advises
A panel of experts says clinical gene editing to correct and prevent human disease should move forward, but enhancements should not be allowed.
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Genetics
Number of species depends how you count them
Genetic evidence alone may overestimate numbers of species, researchers warn.
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Ecosystems
Zika virus ‘spillback’ into primates raises risk of future human outbreaks
Spillback of Zika virus into monkeys may complicate eradication efforts.
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Life
Mouse cells grown in rats cure diabetes in mice
Mixing cells of two species produces pig and cattle embryos with some human cells.
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Science & Society
Cancer studies get mixed grades on redo tests
Replications of cancer studies fail to reproduce some results.
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Health & Medicine
New blood tests can detect prions
Blood tests may detect prion disease in people even before onset of symptoms.
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Genetics
50 years ago, alcohol use was linked to several gene variants
50 years later, scientists are still searching for genes that influence drinking.
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Genetics
Proteins that reprogram cells can turn back mice’s aging clock
Proteins that reprogram adult cells to an embryonic-like state can rejuvenate prematurely aging mice.
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Genetics
Year in review: ‘Three-parent baby’ technique raises hope and concern
Safety and ethical concerns surround controversial mitochondrial replacement therapy.
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Life
Cell biologists learn how Zika kills brain cells, devise schemes to stop it
Cell biologists are learning more about how the Zika virus disrupts brain cells to cause microcephaly. Meanwhile, several strategies to combat the virus show preliminary promise.