Science and society

Recent articles

A repeating pattern of orange butterflies against a blue background.

‘Huge influx’ of neuroscientists migrates to Bluesky

Daily neuroscience-related posts on the social-media platform this week have increased more than 400 percent, on average, compared with October.

By Calli McMurray
21 November 2024 | 5 min read
Illustration of a parent and child both distracted by screens.

Executive function; screen time; Rett syndrome therapy

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 18 November.

By Jill Adams
19 November 2024 | 1 min read
Research image of gray-matter volume in the brains of people with autism (bottom row) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (top row).

BCL11A-related intellectual developmental disorder; intervention dosage; gray-matter volume

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 11 November.

By Jill Adams
12 November 2024 | 2 min read
Illustration of an open journal featuring lines of text and small illustrations of eyes and mouths.

Sleep; noncoding regions of the genome; changing rates of U.S.-based autism diagnoses

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 4 November.

By Jill Adams
5 November 2024 | 2 min read
Research image of human brain scans against a black background.

Cerebellum structure; AMPA receptors; MAGEL2 gene

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 28 October.

By Jill Adams
29 October 2024 | 1 min read
Research image of four brain scans with green areas indicating Parasagittal dura volume.

Okur-Chung neurodevelopmental syndrome; excess CSF; autistic girls

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 21 October.

By Jill Adams
22 October 2024 | 2 min read
Research image of brain scans showing the density of neuronal synapses.

SYNGAP1; executive function; synaptic density

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 14 October.

By Jill Adams
15 October 2024 | 2 min read
Two surreal heads touch each other’s faces.

The case for redefining ‘theory of mind’: Q&A with François Quesque

In a new commentary, Quesque and 44 experts in neuroscience and psychology propose a standardized lexicon for research on the attribution of mental states.

By Lauren Schenkman
10 October 2024 | 7 min read
Illustrated portrait of Kanaka Rajan.

How neuroscience comics add KA-POW! to the field: Q&A with Kanaka Rajan

The artistic approach can help explain complex ideas frame by frame without diluting the science, Rajan says.

By Olivia Gieger
9 October 2024 | 7 min read
Research image of neuronal firing in cultured cells.

Aggression; Angelman syndrome; NLGN3

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 7 October.

By Jill Adams
8 October 2024 | 2 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Imagining the ultimate systems neuroscience paper

A growing body of papers on systems neuroscience and on giant simulations of neural circuits involves data beyond the point that anyone can reasonably understand end to end. Looking ahead, “paper-bots” could solve that problem.

By Mark Humphries
2 December 2024 | 8 min read
Illustration of a pen hovering over a gene sequence-like series of colored rectangles.

This paper changed my life: ‘Histone demethylation mediated by the nuclear amine oxidase homolog LSD1,’ from the Shi Lab

This paper defined key rules of epigenomic regulation and shaped how I study chromatin plasticity as a mechanism for experience-dependent changes in the brain.

By Anne E. West
27 November 2024 | 5 min read

What’s next for brain-directed gene therapy after death in Neurogene trial

The incident highlights that viral vectors can trigger deadly immune responses even when delivered directly to the nervous system.

By Calli McMurray
26 November 2024 | 6 min read