Catherine Caruso is a freelance science journalist based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, MIT Technology Review and Hakai Magazine. She has a master’s degree in zoology from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s degree in science writing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Catherine Caruso
From this contributor
Diagnostic odyssey; breaking through; leading role
A doctor decodes a rare genetic condition, burnout is a big problem in science, and an actor with autism will play the lead in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.”
Diagnostic odyssey; breaking through; leading role
By
Catherine Caruso
19 May 2017 | 5 min read
Collaborative conference; drug danger; autism map
Autism researchers and advocates gather in San Francisco, nearly one-third of drugs approved in the United States are later linked to safety issues, and an interactive map lays out locations of U.S. autism clinics.
Collaborative conference; drug danger; autism map
By
Catherine Caruso
12 May 2017 | 4 min read
Network television; facing forward; warm welcome
Researchers captured networks of neurons lighting up in a small aquatic animal, facial recognition software can flag genetic conditions, and a Muppet with autism makes her debut on “Sesame Street.”
Network television; facing forward; warm welcome
By
Catherine Caruso
14 April 2017 | 4 min read
Funding free fall; mending mutations; film focus
Donald Trump’s budget blueprint calls for considerable cuts to science agencies, CRISPR corrects mutations in human embryos, and a documentary highlights the challenges faced by an adult with autism.
Funding free fall; mending mutations; film focus
By
Catherine Caruso
17 March 2017 | 4 min read
Behavior boost; double data; common interests
Neuroscientists should not forget that brains have owners, a new genetic database makes its debut, and the intense interests of people with autism offer opportunities.
Behavior boost; double data; common interests
By
Katie Moisse, Catherine Caruso
3 March 2017 | 4 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Dispute erupts over universal cortical brain-wave claim
The debate highlights opposing views on how the cortex transmits information.
Dispute erupts over universal cortical brain-wave claim
The debate highlights opposing views on how the cortex transmits information.
By
Claudia López Lloreda
12 December 2025 | 5 min read
Waves of calcium activity dictate eye structure in flies
Synchronized signals in non-neuronal retinal cells draw the tiny compartments of a fruit fly’s compound eye into alignment during pupal development.
Waves of calcium activity dictate eye structure in flies
Synchronized signals in non-neuronal retinal cells draw the tiny compartments of a fruit fly’s compound eye into alignment during pupal development.
By
Lauren Schneider
12 December 2025 | 0 min watch
Among brain changes studied in autism, spotlight shifts to subcortex
The striatum and thalamus are more likely than the cerebral cortex to express autism variants or bear transcriptional changes, two unpublished studies find.
Among brain changes studied in autism, spotlight shifts to subcortex
The striatum and thalamus are more likely than the cerebral cortex to express autism variants or bear transcriptional changes, two unpublished studies find.
By
Holly Barker
11 December 2025 | 5 min read