Academia

Recent articles

People help each other climb up a supersized human brain.

As federal funders desert mentorship programs for marginalized students, trainee-led initiatives fill the gap

Grassroots organizations, led by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, are stepping up to provide neuroscience career training and guidance for students from marginalized backgrounds—and they need your support.

By Christian Cazares, Maribel Patiño
11 April 2025 | 5 min read
Scissors cut a hundred-dollar bill in half.

Exclusive: NIH nixes funds for several pre- and postdoctoral training programs

Many of the axed grants support scientists from underrepresented communities.

By Claudia López Lloreda
8 April 2025 | 7 min read
A hand holds a magnifying glass over a sheet of paper.

Five things to know if your federal grant is terminated

If you want to appeal the decision, know the rules that govern terminations, as well as the specific rationale given in your notice, science policy experts say.

By Calli McMurray
2 April 2025 | 7 min read
University of Puerto Rico building.

The future of neuroscience research at U.S. minority-serving institutions is in danger

Cuts to federally funded programs present an existential crisis for the University of Puerto Rico’s rich neuroscience community and for research at minority-serving institutions everywhere.

By Carmen S. Maldonado-Vlaar
28 March 2025 | 5 min read
University of Puerto Rico building.

El futuro de la investigación neurocientífica en instituciones que sirven minorías está en peligro

Los recortes a los programas financiados con fondos federales representan una crisis existencial para la rica comunidad neurocientífica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico y para la investigación en instituciones que atienden a minorías en todo Estados Unidos.

By Carmen S. Maldonado-Vlaar
28 March 2025 | 7 min read
A group of scientists discusses in a lab.

Learning scientific rigor: Q&A with Konrad Kording and Hao Ye

The developers of a new open-access curriculum to teach rigor discuss confirmation bias and other common errors in scientific thinking, plus ways to avoid these missteps.

By Calli McMurray
19 March 2025 | 6 min read
A dropper above a row of beakers against a background of blackboard calculations.

Calculating neuroscience’s carbon cost: Q&A with Stefan Pulver and William Smith

The two scientists discuss how to estimate a research project’s carbon emissions, from supply procurement to energy usage.

By Calli McMurray
12 March 2025 | 7 min read
Headshots of Michelle Monje and Frank Winkler.

2025 Brain Prize honors pair of cancer neuroscientists

Michelle Monje and Frank Winkler share the $1.4 million award for their discovery of synapses between brain cancer cells and neurons.

By Sydney Wyatt
5 March 2025 | 3 min read
A speech bubble containing multiple smaller speech bubbles.

Amid confusion around U.S. science, some neuroscientists prepare to rally

Eight neuroscientists at different career stages spoke with The Transmitter about whether they plan to participate in the upcoming “Stand Up for Science” demonstrations across the United States on 7 March.

By Sydney Wyatt
4 March 2025 | 2 min read
A student in a cap and gown sits alone in a row of folding chairs in front of a large brick building.

Neuroscience Ph.D. programs adjust admissions in response to U.S. funding uncertainty

Some departments plan to shrink class sizes by 25 to 40 percent, and others may inadvertently accept more students than they can afford, according to the leaders of 21 top U.S. programs.

By Claudia López Lloreda, Calli McMurray
3 March 2025 | 7 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Pixelated human brain scans showing the distribution of mitochondria.

Mitochondrial ‘landscape’ shifts across human brain

Evolutionarily newer regions sport mitochondria with a higher capacity for energy production than older regions, according to the first detailed map of the organelles in a tissue slice, adding to mounting evidence that the brain features a metabolic gradient.

By Claudia López Lloreda
25 April 2025 | 6 min read
A clinician holds a clipboard while someone else sits on a couch.

Expediting clinical trials for profound autism: Q&A with Matthew State

Aligning Research to Impact Autism, a new initiative funded by the Sergey Brin Family Foundation, wants to bring basic science discoveries to the clinic faster.

By Lauren Schenkman
24 April 2025 | 8 min read
Illustration of astrocytes in a petri dish.

This paper changed my life: Shane Liddelow on two papers that upended astrocyte research

A game-changing cell culture method developed in Ben Barres’ lab completely transformed the way we study astrocytes and helped me build a career studying their reactive substates.

By Shane Liddelow
23 April 2025 | 6 min read