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.
Explore more from The Transmitter
The fast-expanding repertoire of mitochondria in the brain
More than cellular powerhouses, these organelles also seem to help synapses communicate, support memory formation and even shape behavior.
The fast-expanding repertoire of mitochondria in the brain
More than cellular powerhouses, these organelles also seem to help synapses communicate, support memory formation and even shape behavior.
By
Giorgia Guglielmi
3 July 2026 | 7 min read
When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 5: The war dial
“You have to reshape the whole system.” Tempest McDonald earns a measure of peace.
When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 5: The war dial
“You have to reshape the whole system.” Tempest McDonald earns a measure of peace.
By
Brady Huggett
2 July 2026 | 42 min listen
Scientists decry conference’s use of hidden prompts to snare AI peer reviews
The invisible messages, which instruct large language models to use telltale phrases in a peer-review report, are effective in catching artificial-intelligence misuse but also erode trust, some say.
Scientists decry conference’s use of hidden prompts to snare AI peer reviews
The invisible messages, which instruct large language models to use telltale phrases in a peer-review report, are effective in catching artificial-intelligence misuse but also erode trust, some say.
By
Dalmeet Singh Chawla
1 July 2026 | 4 min read