2019: Year in review

Recent articles

Five hot topics in autism research in 2019

This year’s hot topics in autism research center around brain organoids, heart rate, the gut microbiome, treatment timing and early detection.

By Spectrum
23 December 2019 | 6 min read
Illustration of a storefront with stem cell treatments

In case you missed them: Spectrum’s standout stories from 2019

Here are seven Spectrum stories from this year that deserve a close look.

By Spectrum
23 December 2019 | 4 min read

Photographer captures intimate scenes of daily life with autism

An award-winning photography series offers a close look at one autistic person coming of age in New York City.

By Rebecca Horne
23 December 2019 | 7 min read

Notable papers in autism research in 2019

This year’s top papers deepen our understanding of autism’s genetics and reveal mixed results from trials of autism therapies.

By Melissa Thomas Baum
23 December 2019 | 5 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Diabetes researcher from NOVA Medical School, Portugal, shows how mice used to study blood glucose regulation, memory changes and metabolic processes associated with diabetes are kept in laboratory.

Public engagement can help cultivate support for animal research

The European Animal Research Association's Patient Discovery Project connects researchers with people who have the conditions they study. The learning goes both ways.

By Kirk Leech
6 November 2026 | 7 min read

Brain registers spatial location outside hippocampus

A more complex picture of how an animal’s brain tracks its location is starting to emerge.

By Natalia Mesa
5 November 2026 | 1 min watch
Illustration of worm on top of a purple rock with neurons in the background.

The three-banded panther worm is rewriting the story of brain evolution

The animal has a brain structure all its own, according to a 2026 preprint. The finding hints that brains could have evolved centralization before regionalization.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
4 November 2026 | 7 min read