I make a living convincing editors to let me write about stuff I think is cool or thought-provoking. The subjects I’ve covered, limited only by my editors’ skepticism, include dinosaur track-based detective work, creationist biology classes in Galapagos schools, and the connections between suffering and selflessness.
Elizabeth Svoboda
From this contributor
Mapping the futures of autistic children
Researchers can roughly project what autistic children's lives will look like years down the road. But how good is their crystal ball — and what are its benefits?
Ben Barres: A transgender scientist shares his story
Ben Barres agonized over whether to come out as male or commit suicide. In a posthumous memoir, he makes clear that coming out was the right choice.
Ben Barres: A transgender scientist shares his story
By
Elizabeth Svoboda, Undark
14 November 2018 | 6 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Dutch primate center awaits October animal research debate
Science is forging ahead at the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands, following a reversal of last year’s mandate to phase out primate studies. But researchers aren’t sure how long the reprieve will last.
Dutch primate center awaits October animal research debate
Science is forging ahead at the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands, following a reversal of last year’s mandate to phase out primate studies. But researchers aren’t sure how long the reprieve will last.
By
Lauren Schenkman
2 September 2026 | 5 min read
When we sleep, our brain is filled with spontaneous neural activity. What is it doing?
Daniel Levenstein explains how internally generated brain activity during sleep shapes our cognition, and why NeuroAI is such a powerful approach to understanding the brain.
When we sleep, our brain is filled with spontaneous neural activity. What is it doing?
Daniel Levenstein explains how internally generated brain activity during sleep shapes our cognition, and why NeuroAI is such a powerful approach to understanding the brain.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
2 September 2026 | 96 min listen
Unconfounding genetic and environmental factors, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 31 August.
Unconfounding genetic and environmental factors, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 31 August.
By
Jill Adams
1 September 2026 | 2 min read