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
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
Explore more from The Transmitter
Sensory over-responsivity tied to autism, anxiety but not other conditions
Negative reactions to sensations track with certain neurodevelopmental traits in more than 15,000 children—pointing to shared neurobiological roots.
Sensory over-responsivity tied to autism, anxiety but not other conditions
Negative reactions to sensations track with certain neurodevelopmental traits in more than 15,000 children—pointing to shared neurobiological roots.
By
Diana Kwon
10 September 2026 | 5 min read
Neuromechanical models deepen our understanding of animal motor control
Thanks to recent progress in physics-based simulators and robotics, it has never been easier for neuroscientists to use neuromechanical modeling to test hypotheses about animal movement.
Neuromechanical models deepen our understanding of animal motor control
Thanks to recent progress in physics-based simulators and robotics, it has never been easier for neuroscientists to use neuromechanical modeling to test hypotheses about animal movement.
By
Auke Ijspeert
9 September 2026 | 0 min watch
Fruit flies use memory to track odors
When flies encounter a tasty smell, they stroll in and out of the odor plume—a process that depends on encoding a memory of the angle needed to travel back to the plume, according to a new study.
Fruit flies use memory to track odors
When flies encounter a tasty smell, they stroll in and out of the odor plume—a process that depends on encoding a memory of the angle needed to travel back to the plume, according to a new study.
By
Calli McMurray
8 September 2026 | 2 min watch