PMDSF 2011

Recent articles

Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Root strategy

A new technique for creating stem cells from hair may help researchers understand how neurons and the junction between them form.

By Deborah Rudacille
11 March 2011 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Meeting brings unusual focus to Phelan-McDermid syndrome

The first international meeting on Phelan-McDermid syndrome brought together researchers and family members of those affected by the disorder, sparking collaboration and some emotion.

By Deborah Rudacille
10 March 2011 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

First-ever Phelan-McDermid meeting has its Eureka moments

The First International Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Symposium, held last week in New York City, brought together scientists and patient advocates to share insights — including a surprising realization about mice missing the SHANK3 gene.

By Virginia Hughes
10 March 2011 | 6 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of waterfall inside a woman's brain.

Revisiting the neural correlates of consciousness

Life happens in real time, but experience may be composed in ragtime—like the music genre, full of offbeat notes and uneven rhythms. The assumption that waking life consists of a “stream” of conscious representations has inadvertently led consciousness science to its current impasse.

By Francis T. Fallon, Michael Pitts
28 September 2026 | 7 min read
Illustration of rolling dice.

Grant review needs reform. How about we add an element of chance?

A process that uses a lottery system saves time, reduces strategic resubmission and accepts that, above a quality threshold, luck has always played a part in science funding.

By Adrien Peyrache
25 September 2026 | 6 min read
Research diagram of gene expression.

Fly neurons carry molecular signatures of their origins

The pattern of transcription factors a Drosophila neuron expresses offers clues to its lineage and birth order—and ultimately how neural circuits emerge.

By Alissa de Chassey
25 September 2026 | 5 min read