Rebecca Boyle is an award-winning science writer covering astronomy, zoonoses and everything in between. She writes for Popular Science, Wired and New Scientist, among other publications for adults and children.
Rebecca Boyle
From this contributor
The brain’s secret gardeners
Once thought merely to be specialized immune system cells, microglia now appear to be master landscapers of the developing brain.
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This paper changed my life: Embracing an early model for naturalistic neuroscience
A 1992 PNAS paper showed how birdsong upregulates the expression of an immediate early gene in bird forebrains. The work revealed to Ribeiro the importance of studying molecular responses in naturalistic contexts.
This paper changed my life: Embracing an early model for naturalistic neuroscience
A 1992 PNAS paper showed how birdsong upregulates the expression of an immediate early gene in bird forebrains. The work revealed to Ribeiro the importance of studying molecular responses in naturalistic contexts.
By
Sidarta Ribeiro
14 July 2026 | 4 min read
Major ischemic events in autistic people, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 July.
Major ischemic events in autistic people, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 July.
By
Jill Adams
14 July 2026 | 1 min read
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