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
Explore more from The Transmitter
The genome offers a recipe, not a blueprint, for the brain
During brain development, genes set the rules and turn the knobs; self-organization does much of the rest.
The genome offers a recipe, not a blueprint, for the brain
During brain development, genes set the rules and turn the knobs; self-organization does much of the rest.
By
Ila Fiete
2 November 2026 | 8 min read
Autism research involving monkeys contends with uphill battle
Macaques and marmosets recapitulate the condition’s core traits better than mice can, but funding uncertainty and challenges at primate centers in the United States could make this work difficult to continue.
Autism research involving monkeys contends with uphill battle
Macaques and marmosets recapitulate the condition’s core traits better than mice can, but funding uncertainty and challenges at primate centers in the United States could make this work difficult to continue.
By
Diana Kwon
2 November 2026 | 8 min read
When is self-organization a mechanism in brain development?
Retinal waves offer a powerful example of a self-organizing system that can build structure without external guidance. The field would do well to embrace such phenomena more broadly as a type of mechanistic explanation.
When is self-organization a mechanism in brain development?
Retinal waves offer a powerful example of a self-organizing system that can build structure without external guidance. The field would do well to embrace such phenomena more broadly as a type of mechanistic explanation.
By
P. Robin Hiesinger
2 November 2026 | 6 min read