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The latest audio stories from The Transmitter

Two goats headbutting.

Neuro’s ark: How goats can model neurodegeneration

Since debunking an urban legend that headbutting animals don’t damage their brain, Nicole Ackermans has been investigating how the behavior correlates with neurodegeneration.

By Calli McMurray
7 January 2026 | 5 min listen
Brain-shaped go-karts race.

The 1,000 neuron challenge

A competition to design small, efficient neural models might provide new insight into real brains—and perhaps unite disparate modeling efforts.

By Tom Stafford
5 January 2026 | 8 min listen
Adam Kampff.

Remembering Adam Kampff, neuroscience educator and researcher

Kampff’s do-it-yourself approach inspired a generation of neuroscientists.

By Lauren Schneider
24 December 2025 | 7 min listen
Research image of the human dorsal root ganglion.

‘Unprecedented’ dorsal root ganglion atlas captures 22 types of human sensory neurons

The atlas also offers up molecular and cellular targets for new pain therapies.

By Calli McMurray
23 December 2025 | 5 min listen
Illustration of a simple circuit.

Not playing around: Why neuroscience needs toy models

Amid the rise of billion-parameter models, I argue that toy models, with just a few neurons, remain essential—and may be all neuroscience needs.

By Marcus Ghosh
22 December 2025 | 6 min listen
A mouse stands on a gloved hand.

Psychedelics research in rodents has a behavior problem

Simple behavioral assays—originally validated as drug-screening tools—fall short in studies that aim to unpack the psychedelic mechanism of action, so some behavioral neuroscientists are developing more nuanced tasks.

By Calli McMurray
19 December 2025 | 9 min listen
Research image of organoids derived from stem cell lines from people with intellectual disability, polymicroglia or microcephaly, alongside a control organoid.

New organoid atlas unveils four neurodevelopmental signatures

The comprehensive resource details data on microcephaly, polymicrogyria, epilepsy and intellectual disability from 352 people.

By Diana Kwon
17 December 2025 | 4 min listen
A scientist chases falling code with a butterfly net in a spare landscape with beautiful high clouds.

AI-assisted coding: 10 simple rules to maintain scientific rigor

These guidelines can help researchers ensure the integrity of their work while accelerating progress on important scientific questions.

By Russell Poldrack
16 December 2025 | 7 min listen
Close up of thumb and forefinger holding a transparent red and white capsule pill with a lab inside it.

How basic neuroscience has paved the path to new drugs

A growing list of medications—such as zuranolone for postpartum depression, suzetrigine for pain, and the gepants class of migraine medicines—exist because of insights from basic research.

By Alex Kwan
15 December 2025 | 8 min listen

Waves of calcium activity dictate eye structure in flies

Synchronized signals in non-neuronal retinal cells draw the tiny compartments of a fruit fly’s compound eye into alignment during pupal development.

By Lauren Schneider
12 December 2025 | 4 min listen

Explore more from The Transmitter

Alex Maier argues that a scientific explanation of consciousness requires grounding in formalized mathematics

When it comes to discovering laws of nature for consciousness similar to those in physics, Maier argues that integrated information theory is the only game in town.

By Paul Middlebrooks
7 January 2026 | 1 min read
Research images of the mouse visual cortex.

Astrocytes stabilize circuits in adult mouse brain

The glial cells secrete a protein that suppresses plasticity post-development.

By Holly Barker
6 January 2026 | 5 min read
Illustration of an open journal featuring lines of text and small illustrations of eyes and mouths.

Profiles of neurodevelopmental conditions; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 5 January.

By Jill Adams
6 January 2026 | 1 min read

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