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

Is our intelligence rooted in how living organisms are organized?

Kathryn Nave explains how a concept called constraint closure may be fundamental to understanding brains, minds and cognition.

By Paul Middlebrooks
15 July 2026 | 1 min read
Soha Ashrafi photo collage art.

Making an impact through academic administration

As executive director of research at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Neurobiology, Soha Ashrafi supports more than 300 scientists, students and staff members.

By Katie Moisse
15 July 2026 | 7 min read
Illustration of birdsong, bird brain, and DNA.

This paper changed my life: Embracing an early model for naturalistic neuroscience

A 1992 PNAS paper showed how birdsong upregulates the expression of an immediate early gene in bird forebrains. The work revealed to Ribeiro the importance of studying molecular responses in naturalistic contexts.

By Sidarta Ribeiro
14 July 2026 | 4 min read