Grace Huckins is a former editorial intern at Spectrum. Her writing has been published in Scientific American, Wired and Popular Science. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience at Stanford University in California, where she builds computer models of brain dynamics. In 2020, she was the AAAS Mass Media Fellow at Wired. She previously studied at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom as a Rhodes scholar.
Grace Huckins
Former news intern
Spectrum
From this contributor
Extra Y chromosomes are linked to autism
Data from people with more or fewer than two sex chromosomes could help answer questions around genetic protection and vulnerability.
How Helen Willsey broke new ground, frogs in hand
A young researcher faces down the skeptics.
How Helen Willsey broke new ground, frogs in hand
Searching for the biology behind autism’s sex bias
The fact that autism seems to affect more boys than girls is often attributed to diagnostic gaps, but the skew remains largely unexplained. Some scientists are turning to basic biology for answers.
Searching for the biology behind autism’s sex bias
Patchwork mutations present a new frontier for autism research
Mosaic mutations, which affect only some of the body’s cells, play a small but meaningful role in autism. Though they are difficult to study, researchers are working to master their complexity.
Patchwork mutations present a new frontier for autism research
Pandemic pressures may drive young scientists away from autism research
After a year of juggling research, childcare and COVID-19 anxiety, some early-career academics are rethinking their place in autism science.
Pandemic pressures may drive young scientists away from autism research
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Autism scientists push back on CDC’s inaccurate vaccine claims
The CDC website now falsely suggests that autism-vaccine research is still an open question, prompting distrust among researchers—some of whom anticipate “more unreliable statements coming from the junta that took over” the agency.
Autism scientists push back on CDC’s inaccurate vaccine claims
The CDC website now falsely suggests that autism-vaccine research is still an open question, prompting distrust among researchers—some of whom anticipate “more unreliable statements coming from the junta that took over” the agency.
Gene replacement therapy normalizes some traits in SYNGAP1 model mice
The first published virus-based gene therapy for SYNGAP1 deletion yields benefits despite the gene’s long length and complexity.
Gene replacement therapy normalizes some traits in SYNGAP1 model mice
The first published virus-based gene therapy for SYNGAP1 deletion yields benefits despite the gene’s long length and complexity.
Does AI understand what it produces? Henk de Regt explores how we might assess understanding in machines and humans
Building on his philosophy of how scientists understand what they work on, de Regt is extending his approach to test understanding in machines.
Does AI understand what it produces? Henk de Regt explores how we might assess understanding in machines and humans
Building on his philosophy of how scientists understand what they work on, de Regt is extending his approach to test understanding in machines.