Celia Ford is a freelance science journalist who writes about brains, biotech and whatever makes people think about thinking. She earned her Sc.B. in cognitive neuroscience from Brown University and her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California, Berkeley. She was a 2022 early-career science writing fellow at The Open Notebook and a 2023 AAAS mass media fellow at Wired. Celia is based in Berkeley, California.
Celia Ford
Contributing writer
From this contributor
Glow-in-the-dark labels accelerate AI-assisted animal motion tracking
The labeling technique trains machine-learning algorithms with larger datasets and less effort than ever before.
Glow-in-the-dark labels accelerate AI-assisted animal motion tracking
By
Celia Ford
13 November 2023 | 5 min read
Method pinpoints cell-specific effects of autism-linked mutations
The approach, which combines CRISPR with single-cell analyses of organoids, suggests that intermediate progenitor cells are especially vulnerable to mutations associated with autism.
Method pinpoints cell-specific effects of autism-linked mutations
By
Celia Ford
3 October 2023 | 3 min read
‘Social touch’ responses in mice gauged with unprecedented control
A new tool could help decipher the brain circuits underlying aversion to social touch, which is common in people with autism.
‘Social touch’ responses in mice gauged with unprecedented control
By
Celia Ford
19 September 2023 | 4 min read
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Despite evidence for a role in plasticity and other crucial functions, many neuroscientists still view these proteins as “brain goop.” The field needs technical advances and a shift in scientific thinking to move beyond this outdated perspective.
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Huntington’s disease gene variants past a certain size poison select cells
The findings—providing “the next step in the whole pathway”—help explain the disease’s late onset and offer hope that it has an extended therapeutic window.
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X marks the spot in search for autism variants
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X marks the spot in search for autism variants
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16 January 2025 | 6 min read