Simon J. Makin is an auditory perception researcher turned science journalist. Originally from Liverpool, he has a Ph.D. in computational auditory modeling from the University of Sheffield. His writing has appeared in Nature, Scientific American and New Scientist, among other places.
Simon Makin
Science writer
From this contributor
Optimized two-photon microscopy enables voltage imaging at multiple depths
The tool could reveal how information flows within and between cortical layers during neural processing.
Optimized two-photon microscopy enables voltage imaging at multiple depths
By
Simon Makin
11 August 2026 | 4 min read
Designer synapses edit brain circuits in living animals
The approach could help elucidate relationships between circuit structure and function, as well as the role of natural electrical synapses.
Designer synapses edit brain circuits in living animals
By
Simon Makin
23 June 2026 | 5 min read
From 0 to 60 in 10 years
After a decade of fast-paced discovery, researchers are racing toward bigger datasets, more genes and a deeper understanding of the biology of autism.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Autism-linked variants converge on two molecular patterns in mouse brains
Gene activity across 17 autism mouse models occurs in either of two opposing transcriptomic states, supporting the idea that diverse genetic changes may converge on a few recurring biological patterns.
Autism-linked variants converge on two molecular patterns in mouse brains
Gene activity across 17 autism mouse models occurs in either of two opposing transcriptomic states, supporting the idea that diverse genetic changes may converge on a few recurring biological patterns.
By
Giorgia Guglielmi
1 October 2026 | 4 min read
How the pipa frog hunts prey by touch
Each of the frog’s eight fingers branches into 16 ultra-sensitive tips, which together function as a fovea—potentially the first demonstration of this type of sensory structure outside of mammals.
How the pipa frog hunts prey by touch
Each of the frog’s eight fingers branches into 16 ultra-sensitive tips, which together function as a fovea—potentially the first demonstration of this type of sensory structure outside of mammals.
By
Calli McMurray
30 September 2026 | 7 min read
Response to ‘Finally, a new route for the magnetic-sense field’
Magnetoreception in Drosophila has much to offer those with an interest in neuroscience.
Response to ‘Finally, a new route for the magnetic-sense field’
Magnetoreception in Drosophila has much to offer those with an interest in neuroscience.
By
Denis Henshaw
30 September 2026 | 3 min read