Lauren Gravitz is a freelance writer and editor in Hershey, Pennsylvania, who covers health, medicine, science and the environment. Her stories have appeared in Nature, Aeon, The Economist, Technology Review, O, The Oprah Magazine and Discover, among others.
Lauren Gravitz
Freelance Writer
From this contributor
A brief history of precision self-scanning
When a researcher solved a logistical problem by going rogue, the idea proved remarkably infectious.
A brief history of precision self-scanning
By
Lauren Gravitz
21 January 2026 | 13 min read
At the intersection of autism and trauma
Autism and post-traumatic stress disorder share many traits, but the connection between them was largely overlooked until now.
Autism’s drug problem
Many people on the spectrum take multiple medications — which can lead to serious side effects and may not even be effective.
Lack of DNA modification creates hotspots for mutations
The absence of a chemical alteration called methylation on some stretches of DNA makes them especially prone to mutations, according to a paper published in PLoS Genetics in May.
Lack of DNA modification creates hotspots for mutations
By
Lauren Gravitz
28 June 2012 | 4 min read
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Trading places: What happens when neuroscience turns into machine learning, and machine learning turns into neuroscience?
Neuroscience has become increasingly concerned with prediction, and machine learning with causal explanation, with each field adopting methods from the other. I asked eight experts to weigh in on what we stand to learn from this exchange.
Trading places: What happens when neuroscience turns into machine learning, and machine learning turns into neuroscience?
Neuroscience has become increasingly concerned with prediction, and machine learning with causal explanation, with each field adopting methods from the other. I asked eight experts to weigh in on what we stand to learn from this exchange.
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Samuel Gershman
23 March 2026 | 22 min read
Exon-skipping approach boosts levels of key Rett syndrome protein
Deleting a small region of the MECP2 gene partially restored function in neurons derived from people with Rett-associated variants.
Exon-skipping approach boosts levels of key Rett syndrome protein
Deleting a small region of the MECP2 gene partially restored function in neurons derived from people with Rett-associated variants.
By
Giorgia Guglielmi
20 March 2026 | 5 min read
Frameshift: How Caitlin Vander Weele made science communication her business
Her favorite part of research was talking about it. So she left academia and turned that passion into a successful company.
Frameshift: How Caitlin Vander Weele made science communication her business
Her favorite part of research was talking about it. So she left academia and turned that passion into a successful company.
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Katie Moisse
19 March 2026 | 6 min read