Marta Zaraska is a freelance science journalist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, Scientific American and The Boston Globe, among other publications. She has written two literary novels and contributed to two travel books published by National Geographic. Her nonfiction book “Meathooked: The History and Science of Our 2.5-Million-Year Obsession With Meat,” was published in 2016 by Basic Books and chosen by Nature as one of “the best science picks” in March 2016.

Marta Zaraska
From this contributor
Moving for autism care
Disparities in state services for autism are driving families to relocate. But not everyone can afford to move, and others find that their new home also has faults.
The problems with prenatal testing for autism
As prenatal testing improves, it presents a host of thorny issues — from what to test and how to interpret the results, to what to do about them.

The problems with prenatal testing for autism
Europe’s race to ramp up genetic tests for autism
Many countries in Europe are reckoning with the growing demand for genetic tests for autistic people — and the accompanying ethical and scientific considerations.

Europe’s race to ramp up genetic tests for autism
France faces down its outdated notions about autism
After lagging behind other countries for decades, France is working on a new national plan for autism.

France faces down its outdated notions about autism
Explore more from The Transmitter
Single-cell genomics technologies and cell atlases have ushered in a new era of human neurobiology
Single-cell approaches are already shedding light on the human brain, identifying cell types that are most vulnerable in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, for example.

Single-cell genomics technologies and cell atlases have ushered in a new era of human neurobiology
Single-cell approaches are already shedding light on the human brain, identifying cell types that are most vulnerable in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, for example.
Bespoke photometry system captures variety of dopamine signals in mice
The tool tracks the excitation of an engineered protein that senses dopamine’s absolute levels, including fast and slow fluctuations in real time, and offers new insights into how the signals change across the brain.

Bespoke photometry system captures variety of dopamine signals in mice
The tool tracks the excitation of an engineered protein that senses dopamine’s absolute levels, including fast and slow fluctuations in real time, and offers new insights into how the signals change across the brain.
What infant fMRI is revealing about the developing mind
Cognitive neuroscientists have finally clocked how to perform task-based functional MRI experiments in awake babies—long known for their inability to lie still or take direction. Next, they aim to watch cognition take shape and settle a debate about our earliest memories—with one group publishing a big clue today.

What infant fMRI is revealing about the developing mind
Cognitive neuroscientists have finally clocked how to perform task-based functional MRI experiments in awake babies—long known for their inability to lie still or take direction. Next, they aim to watch cognition take shape and settle a debate about our earliest memories—with one group publishing a big clue today.