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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

Shark attack

Jef Akst | | 2 min read

By Jef Akst Shark attack Diveofficer/Flickr Creative Commons The paper: R.A. Myers et al., “Cascading effects of the loss of apex predatory sharks from a coastal ocean,” Science, 315:1846–50, 2007. (Cited in 73 papers) The finding: Using over 30 years of species abundance data from 17 different fishery and scientific surveys, a team led by Charles Peterson of the University

Micro-management

Jef Akst | | 2 min read

By Jef Akst Micro-management © Prof. Ernest Giralt/IRB Barcelona The paper: L. He et al., “A microRNA component of the p53 tumour suppressor network,” Nature, 447:1130–34, 2007. (Cited in 151 papers) The finding: Comparing wild-type mouse embryonic fibroblasts to cells lacking the cell cycle regulator p53, molecular biologist Gregory Hannon of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory identified a family

Rebecca Vega Thurber: The coral doctor

Jef Akst | | 3 min read

By Jef Akst Rebecca Vega Thurber: The coral doctor © Daniel Portnoy It’s not every day that a biologist’s work makes it on to Comedy Central. But after giving a talk at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City about herpes-like viruses in corals, that’s what happened to Rebecca Vega Thurber, then a marine biology postdoc.1 Her findings were mentioned on Stephen Colbert’s Colbert Report, w

The Future of Science Videos

Jef Akst | | 4 min read

By Jef Akst The Future of Science Videos © Richard Newstead / Getty Images The use of video in scientific research is anything but new. In fact, the very first “motion picture” was shot as part of an experiment aimed at determining if horses ever have all four feet off the ground simultaneously while galloping. On June 11, 1878, using 12 cameras placed 50 centimeters apart and trip wires to be triggered as the

Stressed brains rely on habit

Jef Akst | | 3 min read

Exposure to chronic stress causes alterations in brain anatomy that may compel rats to rely too much on routine, even when a change in circumstances calls for a change in behavior, according to a new study published this week in Science. Image: Wikimedia commons, Janet StephensThe study provides "a really nice animal model for a subtle, important problem with cognition that can be caused by chronic stress in humans," neuroscientist linkurl:Robert Sapolsky;http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/Robert

Butterfly sperm explained

Jef Akst | | 3 min read

New research has proposed a genetic explanation for the evolution of a bizarre method used by male butterflies to ensure the success of their sperm. Image: Flickr/linkurl:Dave-F;http://www.flickr.com/photos/frield/952293034/ The sperm of male butterflies has a strange property. About 90% of it is non-fertile -- essentially filler for the females' sperm storage organs that tricks females into thinking they have all the sperm they need to fertilize their eggs. The males' ploy reduces the likeliho

Alzheimer's clue found

Jef Akst | | 3 min read

Researchers report a step forward in understanding the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Two genes that are commonly mutated in the early-onset form of Alzheimer's may cause the disorder by altering how presynaptic neurons release neurotransmitters, according to a study published this week in Nature. Image: Wikimedia commonsThe mechanism may apply to other neurodegenerative disorders as well, the researchers say. "This is a new concept that's interesting to know," said molecular neurobiologi

Synthetic enzyme pioneer dies

Jef Akst | | 2 min read

Ralph F. Hirschmann, a medicinal chemist who was one of the first to synthesize an enzyme in the lab, died last week (June 20) at age 87 from renal disease complications. Image: University of Pennsylvania"He was extraordinarily forward thinking," said organic chemist linkurl:Jeff Winkler,;http://webdev.chem.upenn.edu/chem/research/faculty.php?id=39 Hirschmann's colleague at the University of Pennsylvania. "His work was really revolutionary in that he achieved things that at the time were imagin

The poetryome

Jef Akst | | 3 min read

Biology is, of course, creative. Without a little non-linear thinking to dream up new conceptual approaches and methodologies, some of the best experiments ever conducted would have never left the drawing board. But when it comes to communicating scientific results -- even stunning, revolutionary ones -- the literature can be drier than chalk dust. Image: Wikimedia commons, George GastinA new project sponsored by The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) -- a UK-based organization for res

Chimps get AIDS too

Jef Akst | | 3 min read

SIV, the simian form of HIV, causes illness in chimpanzees similar to human AIDS, despite the longstanding belief that such viruses had no effect on non-humans primates, according to a new study published this week in Nature. Image: linkurl:Flickr/belgianchocolate;http://www.flickr.com/photos/frank-wouters/10422279/ "It's definitely unexpected," said viral immunologist linkurl:Don Sodora;http://www.sbri.org/research/sodora.asp of the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, who was not involved

Furloughs for state school profs

Jef Akst | | 3 min read

Universities across the US are forcing their employees to take unpaid leave, effectively reducing the salary budget without reflecting pay cuts on paper. But for most researchers, who cannot easily pause their studies, what furloughs really amount to is a simple reduction in income -- the same amount of work for less money. Image: linkurl:Flickr/hoyasmeg;http://www.flickr.com/photos/emeryjl/2553639968/ "Especially in the sciences, [professors can't just stop] laboratory experiments or any ongoi

Vector did not kill HIV trial

Jef Akst | | 3 min read

New findings have disproved a leading explanation for why an experimental HIV vaccine made subjects more susceptible to the virus, reopening the door for further HIV vaccine efforts based on similar principles. Human Immunodeficiency VirusImage: NIAIDThe Merck-funded STEP study, which used an adenoviral vector to deliver an HIV vaccine candidate, was halted in 2007 after the data suggested the vaccine increased the risk of HIV infection. Researchers thought the effect might be due to an immune