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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Employees of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services line up to enter the Mary E. Switzer Memorial Building in Washington on April 2 as the Trump administration’s plans to cut 10,000 jobs from the department’s roster were kicking in. Many of those cuts could hamper the ability to fight infectious diseases. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/040325_ts_HHS-cuts_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/040325_ts_HHS-cuts_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
Health & MedicineHow U.S. public health cuts could raise risks of infectious diseases
Deep funding cuts and widespread layoffs impact everything from local public health outreach to global disease surveillance, making us more vulnerable, experts warn.
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Wounded skin cells, like the keratinocytes shown in this colored scanning electron micrograph, send out bursts of electricity, a new study finds. The signal may act as a beacon calling neighboring cells to heal the injury. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/032525_ts_screaming-cells_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/032525_ts_screaming-cells_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
Health & MedicineSkin cells emit slow electric pulses after injury
The electric skin cell signals, which move at glacial pace compared to those in nerve cells, may play a role in initiating healing.
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Fungi, like this colony growing in a lab dish, are notoriously hard to treat. A newly discovered compound made by bacteria kills even fungi that are resistant to other antifungal drugs. The compound may one day become a drug — if scientists can figure out why it doesn’t also kill human cells and bacteria. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/032425_ts_new-antifungal_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/032425_ts_new-antifungal_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
Health & MedicineA new antifungal drug works in a surprising way
Mandimycin, which targets a different essential fungi cell resource than other antifungal drugs, should harm other cell types as collateral — but doesn’t.
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Millions of people have used DNA testing kits from 23andMe to trace family ties and to learn more about health conditions they may be susceptible to. The company filed for bankruptcy leaving customers wondering what to do about genetic data. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/032625_ts_23andme_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/032625_ts_23andme_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
GeneticsWhat 23andMe’s bankruptcy means for your genetic data
As 23andMe prepares to be sold, Science News spoke with two experts about what’s at stake and whether consumers should delete their genetic data.
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Texas towns have been running low on measles shots as parents race to get their children vaccinated. Demand skyrocketed after a 6-year-old Texan girl died of measles — the first U.S. measles death in a decade. An adult in New Mexico also died and tested positive for measles after death. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/031325_ts_measles_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/031325_ts_measles_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
Health & MedicineMeasles is spreading. Here’s what experts say you should know
The uptick in measles cases has left many people wondering about early signs of measles, whether they need an updated vaccine and treatment options.
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A large measles outbreak in Texas demonstrates how quickly the disease can spread when too few people are vaccinated. This warning sign greets patients at an Odessa, Texas, medical clinic. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/022825_ts_vaccine_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/022825_ts_vaccine_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
Health & MedicineWhat experts say about childhood vaccines amid the Texas measles outbreak
As the Texas measles outbreak grows and HHS head RFK Jr. puts vaccines under new scrutiny, two experts answer questions about the public health tool.
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In experiments, scientists have found that gut bacteria can have an effect on mice’s desire for sugar. Some companies claim probiotics can have the same effect in people. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/030125_column_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/030125_column_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
Health & MedicineCan probiotics actually curb sugar cravings?
Some companies claim that taking beneficial bacteria can reduce the desire for sugar. But the evidence comes from mice, not people.
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The biology of sex is complicated. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/040125_ths_sex-definition_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/040125_ths_sex-definition_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
HumansBiological sex is not as simple as male or female
A recent Trump executive order defines sex based on gamete size. But the order oversimplifies genetics, hormones and reproductive biology.
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A school of hardyhead silverside fish (Atherinomorus lacunosus) flees from four blacktip reef sharks near the shore of the Maldives in this aerial photo. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/020125_scivis_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/020125_scivis_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
AnimalsThis bird’s eye view of a shark hunt won a photo contest
A snapshot of blacktip reef sharks hunting hardyhead silverside fish won the 2024 Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition.
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Burnt cars like this one destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., and other scorched urban debris can produce toxic chemicals and metals that invade still-standing homes and cause health problems long after flames have died. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/013025_ts_la-fires-toxic-aftermath_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/013025_ts_la-fires-toxic-aftermath_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
Health & MedicineToxic dangers lurk in LA, even in homes that didn’t burn
Urban wildfires like LA’s make harmful chemicals from burning plastics and electronics that can make indoor air dangerous for months.
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This drawing by Johannes Swammerdam shows the brain of a honeybee drone. It’s the oldest known image of an insect brain. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/012825_ts_bee-brain_feat.jpg?fit=680%2C383&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/012825_ts_bee-brain_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1">
LifeThis drawing is the oldest known sketch of an insect brain
Found in a roughly 350-year-old manuscript by Dutch biologist Johannes Swammerdam, the scientific illustration shows the brain of a honeybee drone.
- Health & Medicine
AI could transform health care, but will it live up to the hype?
AI has the potential to make health care more effective, equitable and humane. Whether the tech delivers on these promises remains to be seen.