Carrie Arnold is a Virginia-based freelance science journalist who covers many aspects of the living world. She’s a contributing editor at NOVA Next, and has also written for Mosaic, National Geographic, Aeon, Nautilus, Scientific American and Women’s Health. She is also the author of “Decoding Anorexia: How Breakthroughs in Science Offer Hope for Eating Disorders.”
Carrie Arnold
From this contributor
Weighing up autism’s obesity crisis
Autism’s underlying biology, associated behaviors and treatments can all put people on the spectrum at serious risk for obesity.
Rare form of autism shows unique pattern of regression
More than 40 percent of children with Phelan-McDermid syndrome lose skills they once had, beginning, on average, at age 6.
Rare form of autism shows unique pattern of regression
By
Carrie Arnold
24 May 2017 | 3 min read
The innovators: How families launch their own autism studies
Some parents are starting ‘N-of-1’ studies for autism, but their efforts don’t always get taken seriously.
The innovators: How families launch their own autism studies
By
Carrie Arnold
28 September 2016 | 20 min read
The invisible link between autism and anorexia
Autism and anorexia may seem to have nothing in common, but below the surface, the two conditions are startlingly similar—and sometimes affect the same person.
The invisible link between autism and anorexia
By
Carrie Arnold
17 February 2016 | 18 min read
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What to do when traditional mechanistic approaches no longer work
Many complex behaviors have stubbornly resisted mechanistic explanations. Deciphering them will require new approaches—and perhaps a new concept of “understanding.”
What to do when traditional mechanistic approaches no longer work
Many complex behaviors have stubbornly resisted mechanistic explanations. Deciphering them will require new approaches—and perhaps a new concept of “understanding.”
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Bence Ölveczky
19 October 2026 | 8 min read
University probe leads to retraction of four neural tube studies
The University of Maryland conducted an internal investigation that identified image duplications and other data integrity issues in the studies, according to the retraction notices.
University probe leads to retraction of four neural tube studies
The University of Maryland conducted an internal investigation that identified image duplications and other data integrity issues in the studies, according to the retraction notices.
By
Claudia López Lloreda
16 October 2026 | 6 min read
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.
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.
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Madeline Shaw
16 October 2026 | 4 min read