Tara Santora is a former intern at Spectrum and a freelance journalist based in New York City. Tara has written about health and the environment for publications such as Psychology Today and Audubon magazine. They are also a graduate student at New York University’s Science, Health & Environmental Reporting Program.
Tara Santora
From this contributor
U.S. authorizes rapid blood test for fragile X syndrome
A new blood test can identify within seven hours whether a person carries the genetic mutation underlying fragile X syndrome.
U.S. authorizes rapid blood test for fragile X syndrome
By
Tara Santora
8 April 2020 | 2 min read
New analysis of brain activity could identify signal for autism
A new technique allows researchers to analyze raw data across multiple studies that use electroencephalography.
New analysis of brain activity could identify signal for autism
By
Tara Santora
18 March 2020 | 2 min read
Machine learning flags ‘mosaic’ mutations that may contribute to autism
A new technique detects rare mutations that occur in only a subset of the body's cells.
Machine learning flags ‘mosaic’ mutations that may contribute to autism
By
Tara Santora
19 February 2020 | 2 min read
Smart jumpsuit may help test motor skills in infants with autism
A new jumpsuit is fitted with sensors that can track and classify an infant's posture and movements.
Smart jumpsuit may help test motor skills in infants with autism
By
Tara Santora
12 February 2020 | 2 min read
Artificial neurons may repair damaged cells and circuits
Electronic neurons made from silicon mimic brain cells and could be used to treat conditions such as autism.
Artificial neurons may repair damaged cells and circuits
By
Tara Santora
17 January 2020 | 2 min read
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Barth uses learning tasks in mice as a tool to drive synaptic plasticity in the sensory cortex, hoping to unlock more general principles of how the cortex works.
Alison Barth discovers how different neuron types contribute to cortical function
Barth uses learning tasks in mice as a tool to drive synaptic plasticity in the sensory cortex, hoping to unlock more general principles of how the cortex works.
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Virus-like particles deliver gene-editing tools into Duchenne mouse model
The approach uses a protein found in fruit flies to ferry the gene editor Cas9 into muscle cells.
Virus-like particles deliver gene-editing tools into Duchenne mouse model
The approach uses a protein found in fruit flies to ferry the gene editor Cas9 into muscle cells.
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Textbook model of hippocampus’s role in memory may need updating
The CA3 region, long thought to have just one circuit, has two, sporting different wiring and functions, a new preprint suggests.
Textbook model of hippocampus’s role in memory may need updating
The CA3 region, long thought to have just one circuit, has two, sporting different wiring and functions, a new preprint suggests.
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Alissa de Chassey
4 August 2026 | 5 min read