Leto Sapunar is a freelance science journalist covering physics, space, climate and science accountability since 2020. He has been writing for Popular Science since early 2021, and his work can also be found in Scientific American, Inside Climate News and Retraction Watch, among other outlets.
Leto Sapunar
From this contributor
Pinning hope to ketamine
Doctors can prescribe it, but evidence that ketamine eases autism traits is still preliminary.
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Early experience reshapes zebrafish retinal cells, alters behavior
The cells undergo a classic form of plasticity previously thought to occur only in downstream visual circuits.
Early experience reshapes zebrafish retinal cells, alters behavior
The cells undergo a classic form of plasticity previously thought to occur only in downstream visual circuits.
By
Siddhant Pusdekar
13 August 2026 | 0 min watch
Loss of interneuron plasticity may be shared hallmark of neurodevelopmental conditions
Restoring an experience-dependent interneuron plasticity gene in adulthood improves memory and cuts seizures in CNTNAP2 knockout mice, a new study shows.
Loss of interneuron plasticity may be shared hallmark of neurodevelopmental conditions
Restoring an experience-dependent interneuron plasticity gene in adulthood improves memory and cuts seizures in CNTNAP2 knockout mice, a new study shows.
By
Claudia López Lloreda
12 August 2026 | 5 min read
Neuropsychiatric MRI brain signatures fail reproducibility test
Small neuroimaging studies are unlikely to capture consistent anatomical changes related to conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and mood disorders, according to a new “wake-up call” study.
Neuropsychiatric MRI brain signatures fail reproducibility test
Small neuroimaging studies are unlikely to capture consistent anatomical changes related to conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and mood disorders, according to a new “wake-up call” study.
By
Holly Barker
12 August 2026 | 5 min read