Jeanne Erdmann


Jeanne Erdmann is an award-winning health and science writer based in Wentzville, Mo. A member of Association of
Health Care Journalists board of directors, she is the chair of the organization’s Freelance Committee. Her work has appeared in Discover, Women’s Health, Aeon, Slate, The Washington Post, Nature, Nature Medicine and other publications. You can follow her at @jeanne_erdmann.

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Photo collage featuring Tempest McDonald.

When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 3: Would there be data?

Tempest McDonald takes a postdoctoral position at Vanderbilt University. Researching her paper accusing the National Institutes of Health of discrimination threatens everything she has built.

By Brady Huggett
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Two infants.

Cousin comparison parses genetic effects in autism

The approach helps reveal whether maternal genes contribute directly to autism in children or have indirect effects on the prenatal environment.

By Charles Q. Choi
18 June 2026 | 4 min read
A white brain model is surrounded by bright, detached sensory organs mounted on colorful wires.

Single-neuron recordings zoom into ‘blurry map’ of human motor cortex

The motor cortex is organized into an "intermixed jumble of tiles" to generate meaningful movement.

By Claudia López Lloreda
17 June 2026 | 5 min read