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

    Scientists made human egg cells from skin cells

    More work needs to be done to create viable human embryos, but the method might someday be used in IVF to help infertile people and male couples.

  2. Health & Medicine

    More young U.S. adults report trouble with memory and focus

    From 2013 to 2023, the prevalence of self-reported difficulties with memory, concentration and decision-making nearly doubled among young adults.

  3. Microbes

    What makes chocolate taste so good? It’s the microbes

    Beans matter, but microbes may be the real secret to fine chocolate flavor. Scientists are building starter cultures that may improve quality.

  4. Health & Medicine

    Could babies get bird flu through breast milk? Maybe, a study hints

    H5N1 bird flu might infect human mammary glands, potentially allowing the virus to show up in breast milk.

  5. Genetics

    This snail may hold a secret to human eye regeneration

    Golden apple snails can regrow full, functional eyes. Studying their genes may reveal how to repair human eye injuries.

  6. Health & Medicine

    Some probiotics could feed, rather than fend off, infections

    Probiotics containing Lactobacillus gasseri Lg-36 prevented C. difficile infections in mice, but L. acidophilus probiotics made infection more likely.

  7. Health & Medicine

    You may already have some protection from bird flu, but don’t count on it

    Studies suggest that people who had seasonal flus or vaccinations have low antibody levels against H5N1 bird flu.

  8. Health & Medicine

    U.S. FDA may nix black box warning on some menopause estrogen treatments

    Experts worry the warning on vaginal estrogen menopause treatments is doing more harm than good and is not supported by science.

  9. Health & Medicine

    Protein signatures may one day tell brain diseases apart before symptoms

    Blood tests could pave the way for distinguishing between Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and some dementias, aiding early treatment for brain diseases.

  10. Animals

    As bird flu evolves, keeping it out of farm flocks is getting harder

    New versions of the H5N1 virus are increasingly adept at spreading. Suggestions to either let it rip in poultry or vaccinate the birds could backfire.

  11. Health & Medicine

    Vaccine policy in the U.S. is entering uncharted territory

    A key advisory group vows to base decisions on evidence, boost confidence in vaccines and protect health. Experts fear the opposite is happening.

  12. Health & Medicine

    Many U.S. babies may lack gut bacteria that train their immune systems

    Too little Bifidobacterium, used to digest breast milk, in babies' gut microbiomes can increase their risk of developing allergies and asthma.