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. Life

    First songbird genome arrives with spring

    The genome of a songbird has been decoded for the first time. Zebra finches join chickens as the only birds to have detailed maps of their genetic blueprints.

  2. Genetics

    Keeping Time

    New findings show how circadian clocks make the body tick.

  3. Life

    Who reined the dogs in

    New genetic data reveals that Fido likely originated in the Middle East.

  4. Life

    To catch a thief, follow his filthy hands

    Bacteria from a person’s hands may provide a new type of fingerprint.

  5. Health & Medicine

    Temporary hearing impairment leads to ‘lazy ear’

    A rodent study shows that even after ear infections clear up, brain rewiring may cause long-term hearing problems.

  6. Life

    Boys and girls differ in genetic response to what mom eats

    Expectant mothers’ diets may influence gene activity differently in the placentas that feed sons and daughters, a new mouse study reveals.

  7. Health & Medicine

    Hormone may be heart-healthy insulin substitute

    A study in mice finds leptin lowers blood sugar without raising cholesterol.

  8. Life

    Inflaming dangers of a fat-laden meal

    In overweight people, immune cells embedded in fat are sensitive to high levels of fat in the blood, triggering inflammation that can lead to heart disease and diabetes.

  9. Humans

    Decoding diversity in Bushmen

    Decoding the genetic makeup of tribal leaders and Archbishop Desmond Tutu uncovers rich genetic diversity in southern Africans.

  10. Health & Medicine

    Protein clumps like a prion, but proves crucial for long-term memory

    Study in slugs hints that some molecular 'misbehavior' in neurons may help solidify learning.

  11. Life

    Skin cells transformed directly into neurons

    Researchers making neurons bypass the need to revert cells to an embryonic state.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Neurons may function more solo than thought

    Neurons coordinate activity less often than previously thought.