2019: Year in review

Recent articles

Five hot topics in autism research in 2019

This year’s hot topics in autism research center around brain organoids, heart rate, the gut microbiome, treatment timing and early detection.

By Spectrum
23 December 2019 | 6 min read
Illustration of a storefront with stem cell treatments

In case you missed them: Spectrum’s standout stories from 2019

Here are seven Spectrum stories from this year that deserve a close look.

By Spectrum
23 December 2019 | 4 min read

Photographer captures intimate scenes of daily life with autism

An award-winning photography series offers a close look at one autistic person coming of age in New York City.

By Rebecca Horne
23 December 2019 | 7 min read

Notable papers in autism research in 2019

This year’s top papers deepen our understanding of autism’s genetics and reveal mixed results from trials of autism therapies.

By Melissa Thomas Baum
23 December 2019 | 5 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of five purple rectangles arranged three-dimensionally like folders on a black background with a pattern of white dots and white plus signs.

Highly cited autism paper earns expression of concern over data duplications

The notice, published in Nature last week, also addressed an image duplication identified by a prominent research-integrity sleuth.

By Madeline Shaw
16 October 2026 | 4 min read
Illustration of pixellated MRI scans morphing into the scales of justice.

Govern neurodata by how it’s used, not where it’s from

New neurodata laws will shape how researchers gather, share and reuse brain data. A use-based governance protects basic researchers and those whose data are being used, without freezing science.

By José M. Muñoz
16 October 2026 | 7 min read
Illustration of two hands grasping a pink oval and a green oval, bordered on the left and right by columns of red ovals and multicolor and gray circles.

How new technologies can bring primatologists and systems neuroscientists together

The two groups study the same behavioral phenomena yet rarely interact or read each other's work—a mutual blind spot that weakens both fields. New technologies offer a chance to bring them together.

By Sjoerd Murris
15 October 2026 | 6 min read