Headshot of Jill Adams.

Jill Adams

Contributing writer

Jill U. Adams is a freelance science journalist based in Albany, New York. She covers health, mental health and biomedical research for such publications as The Transmitter, The Washington Post, Scientific American, Undark and The Scientist. She has a Ph.D. in pharmacology from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

From this contributor

Research image of microglia.
Spectrum

CDKL5 gene; cerebrospinal fluid; drug combo for fragile X syndrome

By Jill Adams
17 September 2024 | 2 min read
World map displaying an analysis of years of life lost to suicide among autistic people in 2021.
Spectrum

PPP2R5D gene; social-communication intervention in infants; autism and suicide

By Jill Adams
10 September 2024 | 2 min read
Research image of astrocytes and microglia in mouse brains.
Spectrum

X-chromosome genes; neurobiology of infant crying; MCHAT in preemies

By Jill Adams
3 September 2024 | 2 min read
Research image visualizing cell-to-cell communications in cerebral organoids.
Spotted

CHD8 gene; minority participation in research; machine-learning autism screen

By Jill Adams
27 August 2024 | 2 min read
Research image of human neurons.
Spectrum

Congenital heart disease; community-driven policymaking; empathy in autism

By Jill Adams
20 August 2024 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of children looking at a gigantic set of building blocks, some of which display genetic sequences on their surfaces.
Spectrum

Autism is more heritable in boys than in girls

If boys have greater inherited liability for autism, the female protective effect may not fully explain the sex difference in prevalence.

By Sneha Chaturvedi, John Constantino, Natasha Marrus, Sven Sandin, Benjamin Yip
19 September 2024 | 6 min read
Illustration of a brain.
This paper changed my life

This paper changed my life – ‘Response of hippocampal synapses to natural stimulation patterns,’ by Dobrunz and Stevens

The work demonstrated how to effectively combine controlled in-vitro experiments and the messiness of natural brain patterns.

By Robert Froemke
17 September 2024 | 4 min read
Research image of brain scans showing the structural integrity of white-matter tracts.
Brain imaging

Repeat scans reveal brain changes that precede childbirth

A detailed look at a “pregnant brain” highlights a need to investigate the neural alterations that occur during a transition experienced by nearly 140 million people worldwide each year.

By Shaena Montanari
16 September 2024 | 8 min read