Shafaq Zia is a science journalist and a graduate student in the Graduate Program in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Previously, she was a reporting intern at STAT, covering the COVID-19 pandemic and the latest research in health technology.
Shafaq Zia
From this contributor
Spotted around the web: COVID-19 during pregnancy, sleep problems, eugenics
Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 6 June.
Spotted around the web: COVID-19 during pregnancy, sleep problems, eugenics
By
Jill Adams, Angie Voyles Askham, Peter Hess, Shafaq Zia
10 June 2022 | 3 min read
New resource tracks genetic variations in Han Chinese populations
An online database called NyuWa catalogs genetic variations among nearly 3,000 individuals and provides a comprehensive reference genome for the Han people.
New resource tracks genetic variations in Han Chinese populations
By
Shafaq Zia
9 December 2021 | 3 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 1: Those people
What leads an autism researcher to publish an intentionally inflammatory paper accusing the NIH of discrimination?
When autistic kids grow up, Chapter 1: Those people
What leads an autism researcher to publish an intentionally inflammatory paper accusing the NIH of discrimination?
By
Brady Huggett
4 June 2026 | 24 min listen
Supported by a $40 million NIH grant, Yale brain shuttle technology raises questions
Yale University claims its STEP platform might be able to deliver gene-editing tools into the brain via multiple routes. Researchers are eager to see more.
Supported by a $40 million NIH grant, Yale brain shuttle technology raises questions
Yale University claims its STEP platform might be able to deliver gene-editing tools into the brain via multiple routes. Researchers are eager to see more.
By
Natalia Mesa
3 June 2026 | 11 min read
What counts as a ‘naturalistic’ behavior?
Nedah Nemati explains how neuroscience methods and the lived experience of the scientists themselves shape how we define the behaviors we seek to explain.
What counts as a ‘naturalistic’ behavior?
Nedah Nemati explains how neuroscience methods and the lived experience of the scientists themselves shape how we define the behaviors we seek to explain.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
3 June 2026 | 1 min read