Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is science communicator at JILA and editor-in-chief of their journal, Light & Matter. She is also a freelance science journalist. Her beats include quantum technology, artificial intelligence, diversity within the tech industries, animal intelligence, corvids and cephalopods. Her work has been featured in various publications, including Scientific American, New Scientist, Discover Magazine, Ars Technica, Nature Biotechnology, Astronomy Magazine, Leaps Magazine, Hakai Magazine, ChemistryWorld, Physics.org, Colorado Magazine, Inside Quantum Technology, The Debrief and more. She sits on the board of the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains (SWARM) and teaches science writing to graduate students at JILA.
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry
Contributing writer
From this contributor
Number-associated neurons help crows link values to symbols
Comparable neurons also exist in primates, which shared a common ancestor with crows more than 300 million years ago, suggesting that the ability to “count” evolved independently in the two lineages.
Number-associated neurons help crows link values to symbols
By
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry
19 January 2024 | 4 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Cerebellum responds to language like cortical areas
One of four language-responsive cerebellar regions may encode meaningful information, much like the cortical language network in the left hemisphere, according to a new study.
Cerebellum responds to language like cortical areas
One of four language-responsive cerebellar regions may encode meaningful information, much like the cortical language network in the left hemisphere, according to a new study.
By
Natalia Mesa
6 February 2026 | 4 min read
Neuro’s ark: Understanding fast foraging with star-nosed moles
“MacArthur genius” Kenneth Catania outlined the physiology behind the moles’ stellar foraging skills two decades ago. Next, he wants to better characterize their food-seeking behavior.
Neuro’s ark: Understanding fast foraging with star-nosed moles
“MacArthur genius” Kenneth Catania outlined the physiology behind the moles’ stellar foraging skills two decades ago. Next, he wants to better characterize their food-seeking behavior.
By
Lauren Schneider
4 February 2026 | 7 min read
Largest leucovorin-autism trial retracted
A reanalysis of the data revealed errors and failed to replicate the results.
Largest leucovorin-autism trial retracted
A reanalysis of the data revealed errors and failed to replicate the results.
By
Claudia López Lloreda
3 February 2026 | 4 min read