
Ann Griswold
Science writer
From this contributor
Sex and other foreign words
People with autism fall in love. They marry. They even (gasp) have sex. Yet these deeply human needs have mostly gone ignored by scientists.
Many people with harmful genetic variants show no ill effects
Most adults with genetic variants tied to certain conditions, such as heart disease or cancer, go undiagnosed.

Many people with harmful genetic variants show no ill effects
This is a story of autism in small-town America
Rural living can be wonderful: community, friendly faces, a slower pace of life. But when there’s autism in the family, it can be tough.
This is a story of autism in small-town America
Autism, fragile X follow different developmental paths
Children with autism show an increase in restricted interests in their preteen years that is not seen in those with fragile X syndrome.

Autism, fragile X follow different developmental paths
Autism gene may double as pain processor
SHANK3, a leading candidate gene for autism, helps sensory neurons in mice respond to pain.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Oxytocin prompts prairie voles to oust outsiders, fortifying their friendships
The “love hormone” drives the neurobiology behind platonic bonds in animals usually studied for their romantic attachments.

Oxytocin prompts prairie voles to oust outsiders, fortifying their friendships
The “love hormone” drives the neurobiology behind platonic bonds in animals usually studied for their romantic attachments.
Contested paper on vaccines, autism in rats retracted by journal
The editor-in-chief cited “inconsistencies in the number of subjects” as the reason for the retraction.

Contested paper on vaccines, autism in rats retracted by journal
The editor-in-chief cited “inconsistencies in the number of subjects” as the reason for the retraction.
Body state, sensory signals commingle in mouse whisker cortex
The new study challenges a long-held view that the barrel cortex exclusively encodes sensory signals from the whiskers.
Body state, sensory signals commingle in mouse whisker cortex
The new study challenges a long-held view that the barrel cortex exclusively encodes sensory signals from the whiskers.