Niko McCarty was Spectrum’s data reporter from 2021 to 2022. He has an M.A. from New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. He also has an M.Res. in systems and synthetic biology from Imperial College London, where he was a Fulbright Scholar, and an M.Sc. in bioengineering from the California Institute of Technology. His prior research focused on engineered microbial communities and building CRISPR-Cas technologies.
Niko McCarty
Former data reporter
Spectrum
From this contributor
Neuroscience journal retracts 13 papers at once
The papers were flagged by a method that has now been called into question.
DNA unwinder tied to social behaviors in mice, zebrafish
Blocking the enzyme, called TOP2A, in embryos makes the animals less inclined to seek companionship later in life.
DNA unwinder tied to social behaviors in mice, zebrafish
By
Niko McCarty
16 December 2022 | 0 min watch
Microscopy mash-up quantifies, maps neural circuits
A new method that merges tissue expansion, light-sheet microscopy and automated image segmentation can reconstruct neural circuits in about a week.
Microscopy mash-up quantifies, maps neural circuits
By
Niko McCarty
7 December 2022 | 0 min watch
Autism brain signature most pronounced in sensory areas
An analysis of 11 cortical regions shows anterior-to-posterior shifts in gene expression linked to autism.
Autism brain signature most pronounced in sensory areas
By
Niko McCarty
2 November 2022 | 6 min read
New tool transforms, compares dissimilar brain maps
The open-source software makes it possible to overlay disparate datasets and potentially accelerate hypothesis generation.
New tool transforms, compares dissimilar brain maps
By
Niko McCarty
1 November 2022 | 4 min read
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Dimensionality—neuroscience’s red herring?
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Dimensionality—neuroscience’s red herring?
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Dutch primate center awaits October animal research debate
Science is forging ahead at the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands, following a reversal of last year’s mandate to phase out primate studies. But researchers aren’t sure how long the reprieve will last.
Dutch primate center awaits October animal research debate
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When we sleep, our brain is filled with spontaneous neural activity. What is it doing?
Daniel Levenstein explains how internally generated brain activity during sleep shapes our cognition, and why NeuroAI is such a powerful approach to understanding the brain.
When we sleep, our brain is filled with spontaneous neural activity. What is it doing?
Daniel Levenstein explains how internally generated brain activity during sleep shapes our cognition, and why NeuroAI is such a powerful approach to understanding the brain.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
2 September 2026 | 96 min listen