Peter Hess was a reporter for Spectrum from 2019 to 2023, where he covered cannabinoids, autism prevalence, social hormones and other topics. Before joining Spectrum in 2019, he was associate science editor at Inverse, where he wrote and edited stories for a broad audience on a wide range of scientific topics, including drugs, evolution and environmental science. His work has also appeared in The Washington Post, New Scientist, Popular Science and Motherboard. Peter has an M.A. in science journalism from New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. Find him on Twitter at @PeterNHess.

Peter Hess
Former news writer
Spectrum
From this contributor
Capturing autism’s sleep problems with devices nearable and wearable
Next-generation trackers could realize a long-standing research dream: conducting sleep studies in large numbers of autistic people.

Capturing autism’s sleep problems with devices nearable and wearable
Going on Trial: Epidiolex for autism; arbaclofen tests; pain monitoring
This month’s issue of Going on Trial takes a sneak peek at some early null results from a small trial of a cannabidiol-based drug for autism, among other recent drug developments.

Going on Trial: Epidiolex for autism; arbaclofen tests; pain monitoring
Swings and misses with Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele
A careful clinician who prizes evidence, Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele is happy to embrace trial failures, as long as he learns from them.
Ruth Carper: Imaging the aging brain in autistic adults
Few studies have tracked how brain structure and function change across adulthood in people with autism. Carper and her colleagues are collecting data to fill this gap.

Ruth Carper: Imaging the aging brain in autistic adults
Autism-related genes converge on microglia and dopamine in zebrafish
The findings add to the growing evidence that genes with disparate functions can play similar roles in brain development.

Autism-related genes converge on microglia and dopamine in zebrafish
Explore more from The Transmitter
How to build a truly global computational neuroscience community
Computational sciences offer an opportunity to increase global access to, and participation in, neuroscience. Neuromatch’s inclusive, scalable model for community building shows how to realize this promise.

How to build a truly global computational neuroscience community
Computational sciences offer an opportunity to increase global access to, and participation in, neuroscience. Neuromatch’s inclusive, scalable model for community building shows how to realize this promise.
This paper changed my life: Victoria Abraira on a tasty link between circuits and behavior
The findings from Charles Zuker’s lab put the taste system on the map, revealing that some fundamental principles of behavior are hardwired.

This paper changed my life: Victoria Abraira on a tasty link between circuits and behavior
The findings from Charles Zuker’s lab put the taste system on the map, revealing that some fundamental principles of behavior are hardwired.
Neurophysiologic distinction between autism and schizophrenia; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 21 July.

Neurophysiologic distinction between autism and schizophrenia; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 21 July.