Jack J. Lee Author Profile | The Scientist Magazine®

Jack J. Lee

Jack is a science writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Caltech and a PhD in molecular biology from Princeton University. He also completed a master’s in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In July 2021, he began a communications fellowship at the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Prevention. You can find more of his work at www.jackjleescience.com.

Conceptual image of gene expression in DNA

Enhancers: Conserved in Activity, Not in Sequence

Jack J. Lee | Nov 1, 2021 | 8 min read

Certain stretches of DNA that regulate gene expression have evolved differently from protein-coding genes.

Elements from illustration showing enhancer evolution and function

Infographic: Enhancer Activity Across the Tree of Life

Jack J. Lee | Nov 1, 2021 | 1 min read

Scientists are still trying to paint a complete picture, but it’s clear that these gene expression regulators have an unusual evolutionary history.

A black mouse runs on a yellow and green spinning wheel against a blue background

Exercising During Pregnancy Protects Mouse Offspring

Jack J. Lee | Aug 1, 2021 | 2 min read

Obese mice that exercised while pregnant gave birth to pups that grew up free of the metabolic issues present in the adult young of sedentary obese mothers—possibly by staving off epigenetic changes to a key metabolic gene.

streaks of white bacterial colonies on a blue Petri dish

Many Bacteria and Archaea Promoters Work Forward and Backward

Jack J. Lee | May 28, 2021 | 4 min read

New analyses find that divergent transcription, in which one promoter directs the expression of two adjacent genes oriented in opposite directions, is conserved across all domains of life.

a person in a white lab coat with a blue glove inserting a clear pcr tube into a which thermocycler while holding an orange box

Coronavirus Mutations Could Muddle COVID-19 PCR Tests

Jack J. Lee | May 17, 2021 | 4 min read

Researchers find that SARS-CoV-2 variants can evade primer-probe sets and recommend that diagnostic assays include multiple targets for reliability.