Neuroscience

Recent articles

Two bouncing balls.

What are the fastest-growing areas in neuroscience?

Respondents pointed to computational neuroscience, systems neuroscience, neuroimmunology and neuroimaging, among other subfields.

By The Transmitter
15 November 2025 | 6 min read
Archery target.

What should the field prioritize over the next 10 years?

Respondents pointed to a range of challenges in basic neuroscience—such as understanding naturalistic behaviors, intelligence and embodied cognition—and called for more circuit-level research, more precise brain recordings and more work in alternative models. Just as many pushed for a translational pivot.

By The Transmitter
15 November 2025 | 11 min read
Illustration of two hands holding an abstract geometric object that resembles a human brain.

The state of neuroscience in 2025: An overview

The Transmitter presents a portrait of the field through four lenses: its focus, its output, its people and its funding.

By The Transmitter
15 November 2025 | 4 min read
Gerry Fischbach.

Neuroscientist Gerry Fischbach, in his own words

In 2023, I had the privilege of sitting down with Gerry over the course of several days and listening as he told the story of his life and career—including stints as dean or director of such leading institutions as Columbia University and NINDS—so that we could record it for posterity.

By Ivan Oransky
30 May 2025 | 2 min read
Illustrated portrait of Ivan Oransky.

Happy 1st Birthday, The Transmitter!

It takes a village to build something beautiful—and useful.

By Ivan Oransky
13 November 2024 | 2 min read
Illustration of six different noses smelling in six different abstract landscapes.

Consciously smelling—an edited excerpt from ‘Stinking Philosophy! Smell Perception, Cognition, and Consciousness’

In his new book, published earlier this month, Benjamin Young tackles the debates and central questions surrounding olfactory perception, cognition and consciousness.

By Benjamin Young
26 August 2024 | 12 min read
Illustration of a series of squares containing distinct patterns.

Can an emerging field called ‘neural systems understanding’ explain the brain?

This mashup of neuroscience, artificial intelligence and even linguistics and philosophy of mind aims to crack the deep question of what "understanding" is, however un-brain-like its models may be.

By George Musser
5 June 2024 | 20 min read
Composite of images of fruit flies taking flight.

Seen and heard: The Transmitter’s top multimedia stories in 2023

Our audio, video and photo highlights from the past year help to transport readers into scientists’ lives and research, and the lives of their study participants.

By The Transmitter
29 December 2023 | 3 min read
Still from research video displaying wiring map of a fruit fly's brain.

Standout neuroscience news in 2023

Did you miss any of our favorite stories from the past year? Revisit them here.

By The Transmitter
27 December 2023 | 3 min read
Photograph of a gloved hand pointing to a computer screen that is displaying an image of a mouse brain.

Going deep: The Transmitter’s top long-form stories in 2023

Our favorite features and book excerpts from the past year delved into the neurobiology of cancer; problems with survey data; free will; mathematical minds; and questions around one startup’s quest to treat brain conditions with cell therapies.

By The Transmitter
26 December 2023 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

DNA strand

Exon-skipping approach boosts levels of key Rett syndrome protein

Deleting a small region of the MECP2 gene partially restored function in neurons derived from people with Rett-associated variants.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
20 March 2026 | 5 min read
Collage with a portrait of Caitlin Vander Weele in the foreground.

Frameshift: How Caitlin Vander Weele made science communication her business

Her favorite part of research was talking about it. So she left academia and turned that passion into a successful company.

By Katie Moisse
19 March 2026 | 6 min read
Research image of senescing cells.

Signs of aging vary across brain cells

Senescence presents differently depending on the cell type, toxic trigger and neighboring cells, two new studies find.

By Claudia López Lloreda
18 March 2026 | 4 min read