Natalia Mesa is a freelance journalist who writes about life and environmental sciences, health and technology. She has written for The Atlantic, National Geographic, Science and The Scientist. She has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Washington and is based in Brooklyn.
Natalia Mesa
Science writer
From this contributor
Poor image quality introduces systematic bias into large neuroimaging datasets
Analyses that include low-quality MRI data underestimate cortical thickness and overestimate cortical surface area, according to new findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
Poor image quality introduces systematic bias into large neuroimaging datasets
By
Natalia Mesa
31 July 2025 | 7 min listen
Expanded view of hippocampal function comes into focus
After decades of debate, the region’s role is being rewritten. Rather than using sensory input to simply log key points in time and space, the hippocampus may serve to contextualize our experiences and memories—and ultimately make predictions about the future.
Expanded view of hippocampal function comes into focus
By
Natalia Mesa
24 June 2025 | 11 min listen
Newly awarded NIH grants for neuroscience lag 77 percent behind previous nine-year average
Since President Donald Trump took office on 20 January, the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke and the National Institute of Mental Health have awarded one quarter as many new grants as during the same two-month period, on average, since 2016.
Newly awarded NIH grants for neuroscience lag 77 percent behind previous nine-year average
By
Natalia Mesa
4 April 2025 | 5 min read
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