Siri Carpenter is an award-winning science writer and editor based in Madison, Wisconsin. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, O: the Oprah Magazine, Science, Scientific American Mind, Science News, and many other publications. She’s first author on the psychology textbook Visualizing Psychology (John Wiley & Sons, 2007). She is also co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Open Notebook, a nonprofit organization and website that provides resources to help science journalists improve their skills.
Siri Carpenter
Freelance Writer
Spectrum
From this contributor
The children who leave autism behind
Some children shed the symptoms of autism and eventually lose their diagnosis. What sets them apart?
Explore more from The Transmitter
Some facial expressions are less reflexive than previously thought
A countenance such as a grimace activates many of the same cortical pathways as voluntary facial movements.
Some facial expressions are less reflexive than previously thought
A countenance such as a grimace activates many of the same cortical pathways as voluntary facial movements.
By
Natalia Mesa
8 January 2026 | 5 min read
Cracking the neural code for emotional states
Rather than act as a simple switchboard for innate behaviors, the hypothalamus encodes an animal's internal state, which influences behavior.
Cracking the neural code for emotional states
Rather than act as a simple switchboard for innate behaviors, the hypothalamus encodes an animal's internal state, which influences behavior.
By
Natalia Mesa
8 January 2026 | 8 min read
Alex Maier argues that a scientific explanation of consciousness requires grounding in formalized mathematics
When it comes to discovering laws of nature for consciousness similar to those in physics, Maier argues that integrated information theory is the only game in town.
Alex Maier argues that a scientific explanation of consciousness requires grounding in formalized mathematics
When it comes to discovering laws of nature for consciousness similar to those in physics, Maier argues that integrated information theory is the only game in town.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
7 January 2026 | 1 min read