LLMs

Recent articles

The illusion of AI consciousness: Lessons from human unconscious processing

Complex, goal-directed and even emotionally responsive behavior can unfold without awareness, providing a useful lens for interpreting artificial systems.

By Vanessa Hadid, Karim Jerbi, John W. Krakauer
8 June 2026 | 0 min watch
Faceless blue figure attempting to decipher emotion.

What can AI teach us about ‘emotions’?

Exploring why Anthropic’s AI, Claude, displays something like emotion could ultimately help us better understand the function that emotions serve in humans.

By Nicole Rust
18 May 2026 | 7 min read
Illustration of stacks of papers.

The next unit of science: Is the scientific paper due to be replaced?

Artificial intelligence is pushing scientific publishing to the brink. For a field as sprawling as neuroscience, the crisis may also be an opportunity to finally connect findings across subfields.

By Tim Requarth
11 May 2026 | 12 min read
Illustration of two planet-like spheres orbiting one another.

Can AI do neuroscience without understanding?

Prediction without understanding sustained astronomy through a thousand years of epicycles. Artificial intelligence is now offering neuroscience the same deal.

By Anthony Zador
27 April 2026 | 6 min read
A human arm and a robot arm write code together on a small blackboard.

How to teach programming in the age of AI

Scientists and educators are concerned about students using artificial intelligence to shortcut their learning. But there are also opportunities, especially when it comes to teaching neuroscience students how to code.

By Ashley Juavinett
30 March 2026 | 8 min read
A hand moves a square within a set of squares in a consistent gradient, while a hand of lines representing computation passes through.

How to collaborate with AI

To make the best use of LLMs in research, turn your scientific question into a set of concrete, checkable proposals, wire up an automatic scoring loop, and let the AI iterate.

By Kenneth Harris
19 January 2026 | 6 min read
Illustration of a brain and screens of computer code.

Should neuroscientists ‘vibe code’?

Researchers are developing software entirely through natural language conversations with advanced large language models. The trend is transforming how research gets done—but it also presents new challenges for evaluating the outcomes.

By Benjamin Dichter
25 August 2025 | 7 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Headshots of the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience winners

Four protein synthesis pioneers win Kavli Prize in Neuroscience

Their research revealed how neurons synthesize proteins in previously unrecognized places.

By Alissa de Chassey
10 June 2026 | 4 min read
Illustration of chair and a desk made of open data.

How to incorporate open-science practices into neuroscience training

If we want emerging neuroscientists to implement open science throughout their careers, we need to establish its practices as a core principle of training.

By Kaitlyn Casimo
10 June 2026 | 6 min read

A new atlas of abstracts visualizes the field of human brain mapping—where does your work fit?

Satrajit Ghosh talks to Mac Shine about a community-built tool that places every abstract from the 2026 Organization for Human Brain Mapping meeting inside a semantic map of the broader neuroscience literature. Finding your neighbors in that space might matter more than you think.

By Mac Shine
9 June 2026 | 3 min read