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
Reverse engineering neural circuits; success stories from computational neuroscience
Kevin Mitchell talks with Timothy Behrens about ring attractors, the role of innate structure, and an expanded view of cognitive maps.
Reverse engineering neural circuits; success stories from computational neuroscience
Kevin Mitchell talks with Timothy Behrens about ring attractors, the role of innate structure, and an expanded view of cognitive maps.
By
Kevin Mitchell
6 August 2026 | 4 min read
Alison Barth discovers how different neuron types contribute to cortical function
Barth uses learning tasks in mice as a tool to drive synaptic plasticity in the sensory cortex, hoping to unlock more general principles of how the cortex works.
Alison Barth discovers how different neuron types contribute to cortical function
Barth uses learning tasks in mice as a tool to drive synaptic plasticity in the sensory cortex, hoping to unlock more general principles of how the cortex works.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
5 August 2026 | 1 min read
Virus-like particles deliver gene-editing tools into Duchenne mouse model
The approach uses a protein found in fruit flies to ferry the gene editor Cas9 into muscle cells.
Virus-like particles deliver gene-editing tools into Duchenne mouse model
The approach uses a protein found in fruit flies to ferry the gene editor Cas9 into muscle cells.
By
Brianna Abbott
5 August 2026 | 5 min read