A monkey study suggests facial recognition is not innate, a puzzle piece symbol carries negative connotations, and scientists are using a federal law to snoop on colleagues.

Children with autism are genetically more similar to one another than to a group of unaffected siblings.

About 8 percent of non-inherited mutations in people with autism occur in only some of the body’s cells, according to a study of 20,000 people.

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

Large autism-linked mutations tend to be inherited in families with a history of the condition. By contrast, they often arise spontaneously in families with a single affected person.

A study of more than 2,500 families that have at least one child with autism has found three factors that predict autism symptoms in an unaffected sibling.

An online portal designed to give researchers easy access to genomic data may unwittingly reveal some sensitive information.

Many children with autism have gastrointestinal problems, seizures and sleep disorders. A new study suggests that these seemingly disparate conditions are interconnected and may lead to the children’s behavioral issues.

Less than one-third of sibling pairs with autism who carry rare mutations in autism-linked genes share those mutations, according to the largest study yet to sequence whole genomes of people with the disorder. The study questions the assumption that autism’s risk factors run in families, but some experts are skeptical.

It’s no easy feat to whittle down the list of the most influential autism papers to a mere 10. So please consider this but a taste of the burgeoning field, presented in chronological order and based on suggestions from many researchers.