Melinda Wenner Moyer (@Lindy2350) is a science writer based in New York’s Hudson Valley. She is a visiting scholar at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and an Alicia Patterson fellow. Moyer writes a column for Slate and is a contributing editor at Scientific American. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Mother Jones, and a number of women’s magazines.
Melinda Wenner Moyer
From this contributor
When autistic people commit sexual crimes
Many first-time sex offenders on the spectrum may not understand the laws they break. How should their crimes be treated?
When autistic people commit sexual crimes
By
Melinda Wenner Moyer
17 July 2019 | 19 min read
How pregnancy may shape a child’s autism
Autism is predominantly genetic in origin, but a growing list of prenatal exposures for mother and baby may sway the odds.
How pregnancy may shape a child’s autism
By
Melinda Wenner Moyer
5 December 2018 | 17 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Infant memories: Lost but not gone?
Infantile amnesia is not simply a story about forgetting the past. It is an opportunity to understand how memory itself is built.
Infant memories: Lost but not gone?
Infantile amnesia is not simply a story about forgetting the past. It is an opportunity to understand how memory itself is built.
By
Paul Frankland, Sheena Josselyn, Nick Turk-Browne
14 September 2026 | 6 min read
Finally, a new route for the magnetic-sense field
Researchers have dueled for years over how the magnetic sense works. New data from monarch butterflies could finally help settle the debate.
Finally, a new route for the magnetic-sense field
Researchers have dueled for years over how the magnetic sense works. New data from monarch butterflies could finally help settle the debate.
By
Calli McMurray
11 September 2026 | 16 min read
Sensory over-responsivity tied to autism, anxiety but not other conditions
Negative reactions to sensations track with certain neurodevelopmental traits in more than 15,000 children—pointing to shared neurobiological roots.
Sensory over-responsivity tied to autism, anxiety but not other conditions
Negative reactions to sensations track with certain neurodevelopmental traits in more than 15,000 children—pointing to shared neurobiological roots.
By
Diana Kwon
10 September 2026 | 5 min read