Leah Shaffer is a freelance science writer based in St. Louis, Missouri. Her stories have appeared in publications such as Wired, The Atlantic, Discover, NOVA Next and UnDark. She writes about biology, medicine and the weird critters inside and outside the human body.
Leah Shaffer
Freelance writer
From this contributor
Supplements, worms and stool: How families are trying to game the gut to treat autism traits
Scientists are playing catch-up as microbiome-based treatments for autism proliferate.
Supplements, worms and stool: How families are trying to game the gut to treat autism traits
By
Leah Shaffer
26 June 2019 | 16 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
How to build a truly global computational neuroscience community
Computational sciences offer an opportunity to increase global access to, and participation in, neuroscience. Neuromatch’s inclusive, scalable model for community building shows how to realize this promise.
How to build a truly global computational neuroscience community
Computational sciences offer an opportunity to increase global access to, and participation in, neuroscience. Neuromatch’s inclusive, scalable model for community building shows how to realize this promise.
By
Megan Peters, Bradley Roberts
23 July 2025 | 9 min listen
This paper changed my life: Victoria Abraira on a tasty link between circuits and behavior
The findings from Charles Zuker’s lab put the taste system on the map, revealing that some fundamental principles of behavior are hardwired.
This paper changed my life: Victoria Abraira on a tasty link between circuits and behavior
The findings from Charles Zuker’s lab put the taste system on the map, revealing that some fundamental principles of behavior are hardwired.
By
Victoria Abraira
22 July 2025 | 5 min listen
Neurophysiologic distinction between autism and schizophrenia; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 21 July.
Neurophysiologic distinction between autism and schizophrenia; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 21 July.
By
Jill Adams
22 July 2025 | 1 min read