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
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IQ’s link to brain structure, function in children may be a mirage
A child’s socioeconomic status, screen time and amount of sleep all show stronger associations with measures of brain structure and function, according to an imaging study of nearly 12,000 9- to 10-year-olds.
IQ’s link to brain structure, function in children may be a mirage
A child’s socioeconomic status, screen time and amount of sleep all show stronger associations with measures of brain structure and function, according to an imaging study of nearly 12,000 9- to 10-year-olds.
By
Natalia Mesa
11 June 2026 | 5 min read
When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 2: “You need to go to college”
With just a high school equivalency degree and struggling as a single mother, Tempest McDonald is forced to shift her priorities.
When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 2: “You need to go to college”
With just a high school equivalency degree and struggling as a single mother, Tempest McDonald is forced to shift her priorities.
By
Brady Huggett
11 June 2026 | 28 min listen