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
Poppies make more than opium
A 10-gene cluster controls the flowers’ production of a valuable cough suppressant and antitumor compound.
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Life
No new smell cells
Other mammals constantly create new olfactory neurons as they learn new smells, but a new study suggests humans don’t.
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Life
Good cholesterol may not be what keeps the heart healthy
Genetic study suggests that higher levels of HDL aren’t directly responsible for the lower risk of cardiovascular disease seen in population studies.
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Life
Genes may influence body’s bacteria
Specific DNA variants have been found to be associated with the types of microbes that colonize a person’s body.
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Life
Controversial flu research published
One of two papers detailing airborne H5N1 experiments is released.
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Life
California mad cow case no reason for panic
An animal recently diagnosed with the disease had an unusual form unlikely to be passed to humans.
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Life
Shot may top acupuncture for pain relief
Carefully placed enzyme injection has a long-lasting effect in mice.
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Health & Medicine
Pinpointing the G-spot, or not
A gynecologist claims to have anatomical evidence of a center of female sexual pleasure, but noted sex researchers are skeptical.