Nidhi Subbaraman is a freelance science journalist. Her work has appeared online at places like NBCNews.com, Nature News, Technology Review and Fast Company, among others. You can find her on Twitter: @nidhisubs.
Nidhi Subbaraman
Freelancer Writer
Spectrum
From this contributor
Study on ‘extreme male brain’ theory of autism draws critics
The controversial theory that characterizes autism as the result of an ‘extreme male brain’ gets fresh support from a large new survey, but critics are skeptical.
Study on ‘extreme male brain’ theory of autism draws critics
By
Nidhi Subbaraman
25 August 2014 | 6 min read
Experts balk at large trial of stem cells for autism
A Duke University team has won $15 million to explore stem cells from cord blood as a treatment for autism. But experts caution that the trial is premature.
Experts balk at large trial of stem cells for autism
By
Nidhi Subbaraman
14 July 2014 | 6 min read
Proposal to diagnose autism from home videos draws criticism
Untrained volunteers can reliably detect signs of autism in children by watching home videos of the children posted on YouTube, suggests a study published 16 April in PLoS One. But critics say fundamental design flaws in the study undermine its results.
Proposal to diagnose autism from home videos draws criticism
By
Nidhi Subbaraman
1 May 2014 | 4 min read
Researchers unveil fetal brain map, mouse ‘connectome’
Two new maps of the brain — an atlas of fetal development and a wiring diagram in the mouse — debuted 2 April in Nature. The maps may open new avenues of investigation into the genetic and neurological basis of autism.
Researchers unveil fetal brain map, mouse ‘connectome’
By
Nidhi Subbaraman
17 April 2014 | 5 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Watching the mind build a world: Lucid dreaming as a model for generative perception
Lucid dreaming offers a rare opportunity to observe and probe perception from within.
Watching the mind build a world: Lucid dreaming as a model for generative perception
Lucid dreaming offers a rare opportunity to observe and probe perception from within.
By
Magdalena Paluchowska
13 July 2026 | 8 min read
From friend to foe: How the brain updates feelings toward others
A specific hippocampus-to-amygdala pathway reassigns emotional valence to a known individual, whereas the hippocampus’s own representation of that individual’s identity remains stable.
From friend to foe: How the brain updates feelings toward others
A specific hippocampus-to-amygdala pathway reassigns emotional valence to a known individual, whereas the hippocampus’s own representation of that individual’s identity remains stable.
By
Natalia Mesa
9 July 2026 | 5 min read
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