Baffling base

By Jef Akst Baffling base Images of GFP-labeled Purkinje cell nuclei (left) and the chromatography results of the DNA nucleotides. The pencil points out the mysterious presence of hmC. Courtesy of Skirmantas Kriaucionis Postdoctoral researcher Skirmantas Kriaucionis sat at the computer in the lab of molecular biologist Nathaniel Heintz at the Rockefeller University in New York, looking at an unidentified spot that hung mysteriously on the s

Written byJef Akst

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Postdoctoral researcher Skirmantas Kriaucionis sat at the computer in the lab of molecular biologist Nathaniel Heintz at the Rockefeller University in New York, looking at an unidentified spot that hung mysteriously on the screen in front of him. He had been watching as, line by line, the scanned image of separated neuronal nucleotides took shape. Fifteen minutes later, the image was complete, but the picture was less clear than ever.

He immediately started repeating the experiment, reproducing the same result until he had convinced himself that the spot was real, and not just a mistake or an artifact of botched methodology. When Heintz came by his bench to see how the experiment was progressing, Kriaucionis showed him the unexpected results (Science, 324: 929–30, 2009).

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Meet the Author

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.
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