Amber Dance is an award-winning freelance science writer and editor based in Southern California. She is a contributor at Knowable Magazine, program director for the New Horizons in Science briefings at the ScienceWriters annual conference for the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, and a science writing instructor UCLA Extension. She is also a Fictionary StoryCoach Certified Editor.
Amber Dance
Science writer and editor
From this contributor
Measuring plastic in the brain: Improving, but incomplete
Meanwhile, researchers are publishing papers without “sufficient quality control,” says analytical chemist Dušan Materić.
Measuring plastic in the brain: Improving, but incomplete
By
Amber Dance
18 September 2026 | 9 min read
Maternity induces lasting gene-expression changes in mouse brains
The findings add to a small but growing body of research on neurological changes linked to pregnancy, birth and parenting.
Maternity induces lasting gene-expression changes in mouse brains
By
Amber Dance
12 June 2026 | 5 min read
Levels of autism severity in diagnostic manual track with intelligence
A rating of high severity of autism from the DSM-5, the latest version of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” tracks with low intelligence scores.
Levels of autism severity in diagnostic manual track with intelligence
By
Amber Dance
26 March 2018 | 4 min read
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Future of AI brain models sparks debate
Neuroscientists are divided about whether foundation models that predict brain responses will help the field understand how brains work.
Future of AI brain models sparks debate
Neuroscientists are divided about whether foundation models that predict brain responses will help the field understand how brains work.
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Natalia Mesa
11 November 2026 | 10 min read
Language development during the first 1,000 days; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 9 November.
Language development during the first 1,000 days; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 9 November.
By
Jill Adams
10 November 2026 | 2 min read
What ‘Brain Flows’ gets right
Michael W. Cole’s new book makes a convincing case that the dynamic movement of signals underpins just about everything the brain does, though it misses mention of relevant theoretical and single-cell work.
What ‘Brain Flows’ gets right
Michael W. Cole’s new book makes a convincing case that the dynamic movement of signals underpins just about everything the brain does, though it misses mention of relevant theoretical and single-cell work.
By
Daniel Graham
10 November 2026 | 6 min read