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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PIEZO channels are opening the study of mechanosensation in unexpected places
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The force-activated ion channels underlie the senses of touch and proprioception. Now scientists are using them as a tool to explore molecular mechanisms at work in internal organs, including the heart, bladder, uterus and kidney.
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Latest iteration of U.S. federal autism committee comes under fire
The new panel “represents a radical departure from all past rosters,” says autism researcher Helen Tager-Flusberg.
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The new panel “represents a radical departure from all past rosters,” says autism researcher Helen Tager-Flusberg.
By
Angie Voyles Askham
29 January 2026 | 9 min read