Ricki Rusting is a science writer and editor based in New York. She was managing editor of Scientific American for 15 years, after rising through other positions. She is a contributing editor at Spectrum and Scientific American.
Ricki Rusting
From this contributor
Decoding the overlap between autism and ADHD
Autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder often coincide, but the search for common biological roots has turned up conflicting evidence.
Decoding the overlap between autism and ADHD
By
Ricki Rusting
7 February 2018 | 13 min read
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Worms help untangle brain structure/function mystery
The synaptic connectome of most animals bears little resemblance to functional brain maps, but it can still predict neuronal activity, according to two preprints that tackle the puzzle in C. elegans.
Worms help untangle brain structure/function mystery
The synaptic connectome of most animals bears little resemblance to functional brain maps, but it can still predict neuronal activity, according to two preprints that tackle the puzzle in C. elegans.
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Microglia nurture young interneurons
The immune cells secrete a growth factor that “sets the supply of GABAergic interneurons in the developing brain.”
Microglia nurture young interneurons
The immune cells secrete a growth factor that “sets the supply of GABAergic interneurons in the developing brain.”
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Lauren Schenkman
28 August 2025 | 4 min read
Xaq Pitkow shares his principles for studying cognition in our imperfect brains and bodies
Pitkow discusses how evolution's messy constraints shape optimal brain algorithms, from Bayesian inference to ecological affordances.
Xaq Pitkow shares his principles for studying cognition in our imperfect brains and bodies
Pitkow discusses how evolution's messy constraints shape optimal brain algorithms, from Bayesian inference to ecological affordances.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
27 August 2025 | 1 min read