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.
![Headshot of Grace Huckins.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Huckins170-1.jpg)
Grace Huckins
Former news intern
Spectrum
From this contributor
How Helen Willsey broke new ground, frogs in hand
A young researcher faces down the skeptics.
![Helen Willsey in her lab at the University of California, San Francisco.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Helen-Willsey-lab-frogs-autism-844.jpg)
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.
![Conceptual illustration of female brain versus male brain.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SexGenderBrains844V2.jpg)
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.
![Brain composed of legos with various legos scattered around](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/20210309-MOSAICISM-lead844.jpg)
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.
![Mother racing to complete her research, while carrying two small children on her back.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/20210602-LostGeneration844.jpg)
Pandemic pressures may drive young scientists away from autism research
After 60 years, scientists are still trying to crack a mysterious serotonin-autism link
The high levels of serotonin seen in the blood of some autistic people have confounded scientists for more than half a century. Despite so little progress, some researchers refuse to give up.
![Illustration of transporter mice in brain maze](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/20210609-Serotonin-844.jpg)
After 60 years, scientists are still trying to crack a mysterious serotonin-autism link
Explore more from The Transmitter
New connectomes fly beyond the brain
Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.
![Research image of neurons in the fly’s ventral nerve cord.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/lede-motormodules-1200-1024x692.webp)
New connectomes fly beyond the brain
Researchers are mapping the neurons in Drosophila’s ventral nerve cord, where the central nervous system meets the rest of the body.
Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.
![Illustration of researchers talking to laypeople amidst strands of DNA.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1200_Charman-1024x687.webp)
Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman
A purpose-built database of participants who have shared genomic and behavioral data could give clinical trials a boost, Charman says.
Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing
The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/paincircuit-1200-1024x692.webp)
Cerebellar circuit may convert expected pain relief into real thing
The newly identified circuit taps into the brain’s opioid system to provide a top-down form of pain relief.