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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Author

Ann Griswold

Science writer

Ann Griswold is a San Francisco-based freelance science writer specializing in biotechnology and health. Her work has appeared in publications including Scientific American, Slate and The Atlantic. She was a staff news writer for Spectrum from 2015 to 2017, and continues to contribute news and Deep Dive articles.

Ann has a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Florida and an M.S. in science journalism from the Johns Hopkins University.

May 2017
A man and woman kiss under a sunset within a surreal environment, suggesting the surreal nature of studying romantic love within the autism spectrum.

Sex and other foreign words

by  /  3 May 2017

People with autism fall in love. They marry. They even (gasp) have sex. Yet these deeply human needs have mostly gone ignored by scientists.

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February 2017

Many people with harmful genetic variants show no ill effects

by  /  22 February 2017

Most adults with genetic variants tied to certain conditions, such as heart disease or cancer, go undiagnosed.

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This is a story of autism in small-town America

by  /  1 February 2017

Rural living can be wonderful: community, friendly faces, a slower pace of life. But when there’s autism in the family, it can be tough.

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Autism, fragile X follow different developmental paths

by  /  1 February 2017

Children with autism show an increase in restricted interests in their preteen years that is not seen in those with fragile X syndrome.

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January 2017

Autism gene may double as pain processor

by  /  25 January 2017

SHANK3, a leading candidate gene for autism, helps sensory neurons in mice respond to pain.

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In immature brain cells, RNAs hitch ride with fragile X protein

by  /  18 January 2017

A clue to the origins of autism may exist among the molecules that transport RNA in the developing brain.

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Some autism risk may arise from sex-specific traits

by  /  11 January 2017

Genetic variants that shape physical features that vary with sex, such as waist-to-hip ratio, may alter autism risk.

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Compulsions, anxiety replace autism in some children

by  /  2 January 2017

Most children who lose their autism diagnosis develop related psychiatric conditions.

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December 2016
Illustration: A child looks up at an overhead light while less saturated figures walk around her.

For autism researchers, mundane moments spark ‘Eureka’ insights

by  /  26 December 2016

Autism researchers reflect on the unusual episodes that spawned significant scientific projects.

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Mutations in mitochondria genes may raise autism risk

by  /  22 December 2016

Some children with autism carry harmful mutations in the DNA found in mitochondria, the cell’s energy producers.

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