2015: Year in review

Recent articles

Spectrum from The Transmitter.

What’s the hardest part of an autism researcher’s job?

Scientists dish about the biggest challenges they face as they tackle tough questions about autism.

By Ingrid Wickelgren
22 December 2015 | 6 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Notable papers of 2015

Our top 10 papers for this year, based on input from autism researchers, capture the full spectrum of findings — from molecular biology to large-scale epidemiology.

By Spectrum
22 December 2015 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Hot topics of 2015

Here’s a rundown of five trending topics that are turning traditional assumptions about autism on their head.

By Katie Moisse
22 December 2015 | 4 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Quotes of the year

Here are some of our favorite quotes, by those who study autism and those who live with it, from articles we published in 2015.

By Spectrum
22 December 2015 | 1 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Artist with autism illustrates ‘invisible disability’

Sounds, smells and social encounters are just a few of the challenges that Leironica Hawkins, an artist on the spectrum, faces every day.

By Spectrum
22 December 2015 | 1 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Research one-liners

Autism researchers distill countless hours of frantic grant-writing and experiments into a single sentence — with some hilarious results.

By Jessica Wright
22 December 2015 | 1 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Spectrum’s first year

To say this has been a momentous year for the website would be an understatement.

By Spectrum
22 December 2015 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Staff picks from 2015

Some of our favorite stories this year went beyond the news to lay bare critical controversies or highlight real-world implications of research.

By Katie Moisse
22 December 2015 | 3 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Taking a closer look at astrocytes and autism

These glial cells are increasingly linked to neurodevelopmental conditions and the regulation of social behaviors and anxiety.

By The Transmitter
2 April 2026 | 2 min read

Neuro’s ark: Sounding out the evolution of hearing with geckos

Catherine Carr explains her discovery that geckos retain a vibration-sensing pathway previously thought to be lost when animals moved onto land.

By Helena Kudiabor
1 April 2026 | 5 min read
Magnifying glass.

Researchers retract multisensory learning paper after failed replications

Even though one set of experiments did not hold up, the authors stand by the original conclusions of the work and plan to resubmit it as a new paper.

By Calli McMurray
31 March 2026 | 4 min read