Natalia Mesa is a reporter for The Transmitter, covering funding trends, neurogenetics and neural coding. Before joining The Transmitter in 2025, she was a fellow at High Country News and freelanced for National Geographic, Science, The Scientist and elsewhere.
Natalia Mesa
Reporter
The Transmitter
From this contributor
‘Completely new learning mechanism’ drives navigation in fruit flies
By
Natalia Mesa
7 July 2026 | 0 min watch
IQ’s link to brain structure, function in children may be a mirage
By
Natalia Mesa
11 June 2026 | 5 min read
Reward-learning algorithm hardwired into dopamine circuit
By
Natalia Mesa
5 June 2026 | 5 min read
Supported by a $40 million NIH grant, Yale brain shuttle technology raises questions
By
Natalia Mesa
3 June 2026 | 11 min read
Education
- Ph.D. in neuroscience, University of Washington
- B.A. in biological sciences, Cornell University
Explore more from The Transmitter
Mass-produced science is coming. What happens to scientists?
Artificial intelligence may soon enable researchers to generate high-quality science at a previously unimaginable speed. For science consumers—the public, medical patients, technology users—the likely effects will be positive. For scientists, the effects will be as disruptive as industrial mass production was for artisan manufacturers.
Mass-produced science is coming. What happens to scientists?
Artificial intelligence may soon enable researchers to generate high-quality science at a previously unimaginable speed. For science consumers—the public, medical patients, technology users—the likely effects will be positive. For scientists, the effects will be as disruptive as industrial mass production was for artisan manufacturers.
By
Kenneth Harris
9 July 2026 | 9 min read
Neuropathologist not guilty of research misconduct, says university probe
The investigation determined that seven papers by corresponding author Adriano Aguzzi have “scientifically significant” errors, which Aguzzi attributes to his former students.
Neuropathologist not guilty of research misconduct, says university probe
The investigation determined that seven papers by corresponding author Adriano Aguzzi have “scientifically significant” errors, which Aguzzi attributes to his former students.
By
Dalmeet Singh Chawla
8 July 2026 | 5 min read
Diverse autism genes derail common developmental pathways
Multiple genetic mouse models initially show delayed cortical development, but the animals’ molecular trajectories diverge within weeks after birth, a new study finds.
Diverse autism genes derail common developmental pathways
Multiple genetic mouse models initially show delayed cortical development, but the animals’ molecular trajectories diverge within weeks after birth, a new study finds.
By
Holly Barker
8 July 2026 | 5 min read