Shweta Karikehalli is an environmental and science journalist based in New York City. Prior to joining _Spectrum_, Shweta was an editorial fellow at _Audubon_ magazine and worked for the _Daily Orange_, Syracuse University’s award-winning independent newspaper, as a copy editor and reporter. She has an M.A. in magazine, newspaper and online journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and a B.S. in conservation biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Shweta Karikehalli
From this contributor
‘Zombie’ pig brains fire hours after death
A new method restores blood flow and some functions in pig brains four hours after the animals have died.
New method creates complex, long-lived brain ‘organoids’
A new method for growing brain organoids allows them to survive for up to a year — more than four times as long as is possible with other methods.
New method creates complex, long-lived brain ‘organoids’
By
Shweta Karikehalli
10 May 2019 | 2 min read
Mighty magnet promises to render human brain in intricate detail
A new magnetic resonance imaging machine has the power to reveal the brain’s structure and activity at unprecedented resolution.
Mighty magnet promises to render human brain in intricate detail
By
Shweta Karikehalli
26 April 2019 | 2 min read
Genome catalog bolsters global microbiome research
The largest-yet attempt to characterize the global diversity of the human microbiome — the population of microbes that live in our bodies — has found 4,930 species, 77 percent of which were previously unknown.
Genome catalog bolsters global microbiome research
By
Shweta Karikehalli
22 March 2019 | 3 min read
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Loss of interneuron plasticity may be shared hallmark of neurodevelopmental conditions
Restoring an experience-dependent interneuron plasticity gene in adulthood improves memory and cuts seizures in CNTNAP2 knockout mice, a new study shows.
Loss of interneuron plasticity may be shared hallmark of neurodevelopmental conditions
Restoring an experience-dependent interneuron plasticity gene in adulthood improves memory and cuts seizures in CNTNAP2 knockout mice, a new study shows.
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Claudia López Lloreda
12 August 2026 | 5 min read
Neuropsychiatric MRI brain signatures fail reproducibility test
Small neuroimaging studies are unlikely to capture consistent anatomical changes related to conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and mood disorders, according to a new “wake-up call” study.
Neuropsychiatric MRI brain signatures fail reproducibility test
Small neuroimaging studies are unlikely to capture consistent anatomical changes related to conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and mood disorders, according to a new “wake-up call” study.
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Holly Barker
12 August 2026 | 5 min read
Three models, three routes to altered auditory processing, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 10 August.
Three models, three routes to altered auditory processing, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 10 August.
By
Jill Adams
11 August 2026 | 2 min read