Amber Dance

Science writer and editor

Amber Dance is an award-winning freelance science writer and editor based in Southern California. She is a contributor at Knowable Magazine, program director for the New Horizons in Science briefings at the ScienceWriters annual conference for the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, and a science writing instructor UCLA Extension. She is also a Fictionary StoryCoach Certified Editor.

From this contributor

Microplastics

By Amber Dance

18 September 2026

9 min read

Measuring plastic in the brain: Improving, but incomplete

Meanwhile, researchers are publishing papers without “sufficient quality control,” says analytical chemist Dušan Materić.

Microplastics

Measuring plastic in the brain: Improving, but incomplete

By Amber Dance

18 September 2026 | 9 min read

Pregnancy

By Amber Dance

12 June 2026

5 min read

Maternity induces lasting gene-expression changes in mouse brains

The findings add to a small but growing body of research on neurological changes linked to pregnancy, birth and parenting.

Pregnancy

Maternity induces lasting gene-expression changes in mouse brains

By Amber Dance

12 June 2026 | 5 min read

Spectrum

By Amber Dance

26 March 2018

4 min read

mother and daughter sitting across a doctor

Levels of autism severity in diagnostic manual track with intelligence

A rating of high severity of autism from the DSM-5, the latest version of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” tracks with low intelligence scores.

Spectrum