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
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Some facial expressions are less reflexive than previously thought
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A countenance such as a grimace activates many of the same cortical pathways as voluntary facial movements.
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Natalia Mesa
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Cracking the neural code for emotional states
Rather than act as a simple switchboard for innate behaviors, the hypothalamus encodes an animal's internal state, which influences behavior.
Cracking the neural code for emotional states
Rather than act as a simple switchboard for innate behaviors, the hypothalamus encodes an animal's internal state, which influences behavior.
By
Natalia Mesa
8 January 2026 | 8 min read