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
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In memoriam: Susumu Tonegawa, ‘intellectual giant’
He won the Nobel Prize for his work on immunology and then went on to define the field of learning and memory.
In memoriam: Susumu Tonegawa, ‘intellectual giant’
He won the Nobel Prize for his work on immunology and then went on to define the field of learning and memory.
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Claudia López Lloreda
17 July 2026 | 6 min read
How BCIs reveal the speaking brain
Long-term implants provide an opportunity to study how speech arises in everyday life.
How BCIs reveal the speaking brain
Long-term implants provide an opportunity to study how speech arises in everyday life.
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Claudia López Lloreda, Rebecca Horne
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Purkinje cells evolved to have increasingly complex architecture
An increasing proportion of the cerebellar neurons acquired multiple primary dendrites in humans and other apes, according to a comparison of 11 primate species.
Purkinje cells evolved to have increasingly complex architecture
An increasing proportion of the cerebellar neurons acquired multiple primary dendrites in humans and other apes, according to a comparison of 11 primate species.
By
Siddhant Pusdekar
16 July 2026 | 5 min read