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
Explore more from The Transmitter
Is it time for neuroscience to shift its focus from a computational mind to a navigating mind?
Andrea Hiott explains her navigational approach to the mind, and why now is the time to embrace seemingly paradoxical findings in neuroscience.
Is it time for neuroscience to shift its focus from a computational mind to a navigating mind?
Andrea Hiott explains her navigational approach to the mind, and why now is the time to embrace seemingly paradoxical findings in neuroscience.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
21 October 2026 | 1 min read
Human brain organoids come of age—but still have room to grow
The U.S. government has touted organoids as an alternative to animals for studying the brain. The model has improved since its debut in 2013, but scientists are still working to overcome key limitations: immaturity, consistency and the lack of vascularization.
Human brain organoids come of age—but still have room to grow
The U.S. government has touted organoids as an alternative to animals for studying the brain. The model has improved since its debut in 2013, but scientists are still working to overcome key limitations: immaturity, consistency and the lack of vascularization.
By
Claudia López Lloreda
21 October 2026 | 9 min read
Finding neuroheterogeneity’s sweet spot
Once thought to be detrimental to memory processing, neuronal diversity—at the right ‘Goldilocks’ dose—is a new boon to theoretical neuroscience.
Finding neuroheterogeneity’s sweet spot
Once thought to be detrimental to memory processing, neuronal diversity—at the right ‘Goldilocks’ dose—is a new boon to theoretical neuroscience.
By
Natalia Mesa
20 October 2026 | 7 min read