Helen Pearson is a science writer based in New York City.
Helen Pearson
Freelance writer
Simons Foundation
From this contributor
Father’s advanced age feeds autism risk
Are older fathers more likely to have children with autism? A series of epidemiological studies is giving credence to the idea, suggesting that, with age, sperm may accumulate damage that increases risk in the next generation.
Sense of ‘self’ impaired in autism
People with autism struggle to see their own role in social situations. That's the conclusion from the first study to scan individualsʼ brains while they interact with another person - a technique that could lead to a diagnostic tool.
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Alison Barth discovers how different neuron types contribute to cortical function
Barth uses learning tasks in mice as a tool to drive synaptic plasticity in the sensory cortex, hoping to unlock more general principles of how the cortex works.
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Barth uses learning tasks in mice as a tool to drive synaptic plasticity in the sensory cortex, hoping to unlock more general principles of how the cortex works.
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Paul Middlebrooks
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Virus-like particles deliver gene-editing tools into Duchenne mouse model
The approach uses a protein found in fruit flies to ferry the gene editor Cas9 into muscle cells.
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The approach uses a protein found in fruit flies to ferry the gene editor Cas9 into muscle cells.
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Brianna Abbott
5 August 2026 | 5 min read