Tina Saey

United States, Washington, D.C.

Senior Writer, Molecular Biology at Science News

Senior writer covering molecular biology for @ScienceNews Geek. Lover of science fact and fiction. Standard disclaimers may apply. Mileage will vary. She/her

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Articles

A genetic test may predict which weight loss drugs work best for patients

2 weeks ago | sciencenews.org | Tina Saey

People trying to lose weight often count calories, carbs, steps and reps and watch the scales. Soon, they may have another number to consider: a genetic score indicating how many calories a person needs to feel full during a meal. This score may help predict whether someone will lose more weight on the drugs liraglutide or phentermine-topiramate, researchers report June 6 in Cell Metabolism.
At early ages, autism in girls and boys looks similar

2 weeks ago | autism.einnews.com | Laura Sanders |Tina Saey

Autism in toddlerhood looks the same in boys and girls. A large study of autistic kids between 1 and 4 years old turned up no overt differences in symptoms. Those results, published May 26 in Nature Human Behaviour, add clarity to how the disorder plays out in the first years of life. A deeper understanding of these symptoms could help clinicians identify kids who might benefit from specialized help early on.
Personalized gene editing saved a baby, but the tech’s future is uncertain

1 month ago | sciencenews.org | Tina Saey

When a baby born in Philadelphia was announced as the first person to get a gene therapy designed just for him, many people hailed the achievement as a starting point to treat virtually any genetic disease. But there is a long road that researchers and regulators need to pave before other people with genetic disorders can get bespoke gene therapies. Here’s what you need to know about this personalized therapy and how it may affect gene therapy moving forward.
FDA plan to ban fluoride supplements baffles and alarms dental experts

1 month ago | sciencenews.org | Tina Saey

A decades-old dental health treatment may soon vanish in the United States. Access to fluoride supplements, prescribed to prevent cavities in children without access to fluoridated water, is now under threat from a controversial move by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Humans have shockingly few ways to treat fungal infections

1 month ago | sciencenews.org | Tina Saey

Season two of the streaming series The Last of Us has arrived on Max (light spoilers ahead), bringing viewers back to a world where people combat zombies puppeteered by a mind-controlling fungus. Guns and flames help the characters survive onscreen. In the real world, fighting fungal infections is less action-packed, but no less fraught. At the heart of the show is Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a girl immune to the pandemic fungus.
Putrid plants can reek of hot rotting flesh with one evolutionary trick

1 month ago | sciencenews.org | Tina Saey

Some plants stink of rotting meat or dung, which helps them attract flies for pollination. How plants make the carrion stench, which is usually produced by bacteria feasting on decaying corpses, has been a mystery until now. Several types of plants have independently evolved to make the fetid odor thanks to a few tweaks in one gene, researchers report May 8 in Science.
Bird flu in cows shows no signs of adapting to humans - yet

2 months ago | sciencenews.org | Tina Saey

WASHINGTON — When traces of H5N1 bird flu showed up in cow’s milk last year, it raised fears that the virus could become more infectious to humans. So far, that hasn’t happened, virologist Richard Webby reported April 23 at the World Vaccine Congress Washington. Cows were surprise hosts for the virus. Influenza viruses latch on to sialic acid attached to sugar molecules that decorate the outside of cells.
Autism rates rose again. Experts explain why

2 months ago | sciencenews.org | Tina Saey |Laura Sanders

Autism is more common than ever before, a new report suggests. As of 2022, about 1 in 31 children in the United States were diagnosed with autism by the time they were 8 years old, researchers reported online April 15 in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Previous studies had put the number at 1 in 36 in 2020 and 1 in 150 in 2000.
Autism rates rose again. Experts explain why

2 months ago | autism.einnews.com | Tina Saey |Laura Sanders |Aimee Cunningham

Autism is more common than ever before, a new report suggests. As of 2022, about 1 in 31 children in the United States were diagnosed with autism by the time they were 8 years old, researchers reported online April 15 in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Previous studies had put the number at 1 in 36 in 2020 and 1 in 150 in 2000.
Biological sex is more complex than just male or female

2 months ago | snexplores.org | Tina Saey

advocacy: Work performed to support some cause, idea or program. People who do this work are known as advocates. For instance, advocates might campaign for some change, speak up on behalf of someone or something in court (or other public forum), or write commentaries (opinion pieces) on a topic for some news outlet. average: (in science) A term for the arithmetic mean, which is the sum of a group of numbers that is then divided by the size of the group.