Alisa Opar is a California-based science writer and the articles editor at Audubon magazine.
Alisa Opar
Freelance writer
Simons Foundation
From this contributor
In search of truce in the autism wars
The fight between those who define autism as a medical condition and those who see it as a mere difference has reached vitriolic levels. Can the two sides come together to support all autistic people?
New group faces backlash over its goals for severe autism
A new advocacy group for people with severe autism taps into the deep divide in the community over who should speak for those on the spectrum.
New group faces backlash over its goals for severe autism
By
Alisa Opar
4 February 2019 | 6 min read
How to help low-income children with autism
Autistic children from low-income families are undercounted and underserved, a gap community leaders are working to bridge.
The healthcare system is failing autistic adults
Adults on the spectrum frequently have a range of other conditions — but they rarely get the help they need.
Why children with ‘severe autism’ are overlooked by science
Children with ‘severe autism’ are the most in need of help, yet the most overlooked in research. A new initiative is making them the primary focus.
Why children with ‘severe autism’ are overlooked by science
By
Alisa Opar
18 October 2017 | 21 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
From friend to foe: How the brain updates feelings toward others
A specific hippocampus-to-amygdala pathway reassigns emotional valence to a known individual, whereas the hippocampus’s own representation of that individual’s identity remains stable.
From friend to foe: How the brain updates feelings toward others
A specific hippocampus-to-amygdala pathway reassigns emotional valence to a known individual, whereas the hippocampus’s own representation of that individual’s identity remains stable.
By
Natalia Mesa
9 July 2026 | 5 min read
Mass-produced science is coming. What happens to scientists?
Artificial intelligence may soon enable researchers to generate high-quality science at a previously unimaginable speed. For science consumers—the public, medical patients, technology users—the likely effects will be positive. For scientists, the effects will be as disruptive as industrial mass production was for artisan manufacturers.
Mass-produced science is coming. What happens to scientists?
Artificial intelligence may soon enable researchers to generate high-quality science at a previously unimaginable speed. For science consumers—the public, medical patients, technology users—the likely effects will be positive. For scientists, the effects will be as disruptive as industrial mass production was for artisan manufacturers.
By
Kenneth Harris
9 July 2026 | 9 min read
Neuropathologist not guilty of research misconduct, says university probe
The investigation determined that seven papers by corresponding author Adriano Aguzzi have “scientifically significant” errors, which Aguzzi attributes to his former students.
Neuropathologist not guilty of research misconduct, says university probe
The investigation determined that seven papers by corresponding author Adriano Aguzzi have “scientifically significant” errors, which Aguzzi attributes to his former students.
By
Dalmeet Singh Chawla
8 July 2026 | 5 min read