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
By
Marta Zaraska
14 August 2019 | 12 min read
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
By
Marta Zaraska
13 February 2019 | 14 min read
France faces down its outdated notions about autism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France faces down its outdated notions about autism
By
Marta Zaraska
10 January 2018 | 18 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Alzheimer’s disease and autism; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 12 January.
Alzheimer’s disease and autism; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 12 January.
By
Jill Adams
13 January 2026 | 2 min read
Computational psychiatry needs systems neuroscience
Dissecting different parallel processing streams may help us understand the mechanisms underlying psychiatric symptoms, such as delusions, and unite human and animal research.
Computational psychiatry needs systems neuroscience
Dissecting different parallel processing streams may help us understand the mechanisms underlying psychiatric symptoms, such as delusions, and unite human and animal research.
By
Michael Halassa
13 January 2026 | 7 min read
This paper changed my life: John Tuthill reflects on the subjectivity of selfhood
Wittlinger, Wehner and Wolf’s 2006 “stilts and stumps” Science paper revealed how ants pull off extraordinary feats of navigation using a biological odometer, and it inspired Tuthill to consider how other insects sense their own bodies.
This paper changed my life: John Tuthill reflects on the subjectivity of selfhood
Wittlinger, Wehner and Wolf’s 2006 “stilts and stumps” Science paper revealed how ants pull off extraordinary feats of navigation using a biological odometer, and it inspired Tuthill to consider how other insects sense their own bodies.
By
John Tuthill
12 January 2026 | 7 min read