2016: Year in review

Recent articles

The best depictions of autism in the arts

The books, shows and movies that most accurately portray autism are those that don’t dwell on the condition.

By Spectrum
26 December 2016 | 6 min read

Spectrum of color: Our favorite photos from 2016

Peruse our picks for the best science photos published on Spectrum this year.

By Spectrum
26 December 2016 | 2 min read

Quotes of the year

We took note of our favorite quotes from articles we published this year.

By Spectrum
26 December 2016 | 3 min read

2016’s spectrum of autism science

It’s been an eventful year, full of surprises.

By Spectrum
26 December 2016 | 4 min read

Young woman with autism asks: ‘Am I so different?’

A college student on the spectrum reflects on her struggles relating to others and gaining independence — and on the people who have given her hope.

By Claire Bachman
26 December 2016 | 5 min read
Illustration: A child looks up at an overhead light while less saturated figures walk around her.

For autism researchers, mundane moments spark ‘Eureka’ insights

Autism researchers reflect on the unusual episodes that spawned significant scientific projects.

By Ann Griswold
26 December 2016 | 5 min read
Heavy pill on scale

Hot topics of 2016

These five trending topics hint at important discoveries to come.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
26 December 2016 | 5 min read

Notable papers of 2016

Our picks for the top 10 papers of the year highlight leaps in our understanding of autism, as well as lingering gaps.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
26 December 2016 | 4 min read

From temperature to toys, strange stimuli skew rodent results

Interpreting mouse and rat behavior is tricky because of the hidden factors that can influence experiments.

By Jessica Wright
26 December 2016 | 2 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

faceless Blue figure attempting to decipher emotion.

What can AI teach us about ‘emotions’?

Exploring why Anthropic’s AI, Claude, displays something like emotion could ultimately help us better understand the function that emotions serve in humans.

By Nicole Rust
18 May 2026 | 7 min read

Argentine protesters condemn science funding shortfall

Demonstrators across the country called for the government to increase public university salaries and funding for scientific research.

neural networks illustration.

This paper changed my life: Appreciating John Hopfield’s brilliant neural network

In a 1982 paper, the Nobel laureate created his namesake recurrent neural network—work that taught Maria Geffen to always ground research questions in biology.

By Maria Geffen
15 May 2026 | 5 min read