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Jef Akst

Jef Akst

Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.

Articles by Jef Akst

Translation Revelation

Jef Akst | | 4 min read

By Jef Akst Translation Revelation More findings confirm that small RNAs work in mysterious ways. Fluorescent FT protein in the phloem of an Arabidopsis plant. © Jean-Francois Podevin / Photo Researchers, Inc. Nearly 20 years after its discovery, RNA interference (RNAi) is part of biology’s orthodoxy. Small RNA molecules can disrupt gene expression by degrading messenger RNAs (mRNAs) on their way to becoming proteins, or

Mechanical Forces in the Kidney

Jef Akst | | 2 min read

By Jef Akst Mechanical Forces in the Kidney Online Extra The renal tubules of the kidney function to reabsorb water, ions, and organic molecules from the filtrate destined to become urine. As it passes through the sections of the tubule, the majority of the fluid and electrolytes are transported back into the plasma, leaving the waste products behind, which pass on to the collecting duct system, the urethra, and out of the body. Importantly, the quantity of

Mechanical Forces in the Ear

Jef Akst | | 2 min read

By Jef Akst Mechanical Forces in the Ear Online Extra Sound comes in the form of waves of compressed air, and detecting that sound is wholly dependent on the ear's ability to convert variations in air pressure to chemical signals that can be interpreted by the brain. When sound enters the ear, it deflects the eardrum that lies at the junction of the outer and middle ears. This deflection is then transmitted through the middle ear to a small membrane at the o

School halts baboon anthrax study

Jef Akst | | 3 min read

Oklahoma State University (OSU) administrators have aborted a federally-funded study of anthrax vaccines because the project involved sacrificing the baboons involved in the research -- even though the project had already received approval by a unanimous vote from the university committee overseeing animal research. A photomicrograph of Bacillus anthracis bacteriaImage: Wikimedia commons, CDC"It was a considerable surprise to pretty much everybody involved," said linkurl:Michael Davis,;http://w

Science paper pulled

Jef Akst | | 3 min read

Researchers are retracting a highly-cited linkurl:2004 Science paper;http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/303/5656/371 describing a new way of adding sugars to proteins -- a longstanding challenge in molecular biology -- citing their inability to repeat the results and the absence of the original lab notebooks with the experiment details, they linkurl:announced;http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/326/5957/1187-a in Science last Thursday (November 26). Image: Wikimedia commons"

2nd human hESC trial?

Jef Akst | | 2 min read

A second company has requested permission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a human clinical trial using embryonic stem cells. Human embryonic stem cellsImage: Wikimedia commons, Nissim Benvenistylinkurl:Advanced Cell Technology;http://www.advancedcell.com/ (ACT) filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application yesterday (November 18) to conduct a phase I/II trial using hESCs to treat a genetic eye disease. "I'm cautiously optimistic," said linkurl:Marco Zarbin;h

HIV antibody duds explained

Jef Akst | | 3 min read

Researchers may have finally answered the question of why many antibodies that target the HIV envelope are still unable to stop the virus from spreading -- a troublesome stumbling block in the protracted search for an effective vaccine. Human Immunodeficiency VirusImage: Wikimedia commons, NIAIDSlight variations in how those antibodies interact with their target on the HIV envelope cause conformational changes in the target molecule that render the antibodies ineffective, according to a study p

EU trial rules stall research

Jef Akst | | 2 min read

European clinical trial guidelines meant to make trials safer and more efficient are actually slowing down studies that could help patients, and even dissuading researchers from launching trials at all, according to an opinion published online today (November 16) in PLoS Medicine. Image: Wikimedia commons, S. Solberg J.The European Union's Clinical Trials Directive, adopted in 2004, says that trials evaluating investigational medicinal products should follow Good Clinical Practice (GCP), an in

deCODE files for bankruptcy

Jef Akst | | 2 min read

Iceland-based genomics pioneer deCODE linkurl:announced this morning;http://www.decode.com/News/news.php?s=32 (November 17) that it has filed for bankruptcy. It will sell some of its holdings, but plans to continue operating its business and managing its properties as it does now. Image: Wikimedia commons, Jerome Walker, Dennis MytsIn the filing, deCODE listed total assets of $69.9 million and total debt of $313.9 million, as of June 30, 2009. deCODE, launched in 1996, quickly became a leader

When does oversight overstep?

Jef Akst | | 5 min read

When vascular biologist linkurl:John Cooke;http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/gcrc/faculty/John_Cooke/ of Stanford University received a grant in 2007 from the linkurl:California Institute for Regenerative Medicine;http://www.cirm.ca.gov/ (CIRM) to launch stem cell research in his lab, he never expected the agency to linkurl:take back the money;http://www.cirm.ca.gov/node/428 -- especially not when his research was just starting to take him in some exciting new directions. Human embryonic stem ce

Early stress alters epigenome

Jef Akst | | 3 min read

Scientists have figured out how stress experienced early in life can cause long-lasting changes in physiology and behavior -- via epigenetics. Image: Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, MunichSpecifically, early stress appears to induce epigenetic changes in a specific regulatory region of the genome, affecting the expression of a hormone important in controlling mood and cognition into adulthood, according to a study published online today (November 8) in Nature Neuroscience. This is the fi

New mechanism for nano damage?

Jef Akst | | 4 min read

Nanoparticles can damage DNA even in cells that are not directly exposed to them, according to an in vitro study published online today (November 5) in Nature Nanotechnology -- raising further questions about the safety of nanomaterials used in clinical therapies. Image: Wikimedia commons, Jerome Walker, Dennis Myts"DNA damage due to nanoparticles has been described for many types of nanoparticles, but that's done in a primary or direct sense," said linkurl:Andre Nel,;http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu/i

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Jef Akst

Articles by Jef Akst

Translation Revelation

Mechanical Forces in the Kidney

Mechanical Forces in the Ear

School halts baboon anthrax study

Science paper pulled

2nd human hESC trial?

HIV antibody duds explained

EU trial rules stall research

deCODE files for bankruptcy

When does oversight overstep?

Early stress alters epigenome

New mechanism for nano damage?

What Is the Amniotic Fluid Composed of?

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