Daisy Yuhas commissions and edits stories for Spectrum on The Transmitter. A freelance science journalist and editor based in Austin, Texas, she has edited features, news and opinions for multiple publications, including SAPIENS and Scientific American MIND. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Scientific American, Audubon, The Hechinger Report and Symmetry, among other outlets. (Photograph by Brio Photography)
Daisy Yuhas
Contributing editor
Spectrum
From this contributor
‘Slightly unhinged’ federal autism meeting portends unclear research priorities
The meeting last week sparked concerns about the latest Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee’s ability to perform its core function: developing a strategy to support autism research.
‘Slightly unhinged’ federal autism meeting portends unclear research priorities
By
Daisy Yuhas
7 May 2026 | 6 min read
Perspectives from the field: Opinions in autism research
This collection of Spectrum articles from the past 12 months highlights expert perspectives on autism’s heritability and its link to biological sex, the value of transdiagnostic frameworks, and the field’s future, among other topics.
Perspectives from the field: Opinions in autism research
By
Daisy Yuhas
10 July 2025 | 3 min read
Genetic testing; LSD1 inhibitors; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 30 June.
Dosage of X or Y chromosome relates to distinct outcomes; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 23 June.
Dosage of X or Y chromosome relates to distinct outcomes; and more
By
Daisy Yuhas
24 June 2025 | 2 min read
Reporter’s notebook: Highlights from INSAR 2025
The annual meeting brought autism researchers, advocates and clinicians to Seattle to discuss the latest research, including attempts to define subgroups, a potential new CHD8 macaque model and life expectancy gaps.
Explore more from The Transmitter
The three-banded panther worm is rewriting the story of brain evolution
The animal has a brain structure all its own, according to a 2026 preprint. The finding hints that brains could have evolved centralization before regionalization.
The three-banded panther worm is rewriting the story of brain evolution
The animal has a brain structure all its own, according to a 2026 preprint. The finding hints that brains could have evolved centralization before regionalization.
By
Sarah DeWeerdt
4 November 2026 | 7 min read
Does cognition happen in brain areas or between them?
Michael Cole explains how "brain flows" are the fundamental units of brain function and cognition.
Does cognition happen in brain areas or between them?
Michael Cole explains how "brain flows" are the fundamental units of brain function and cognition.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
4 November 2026 | 1 min read
‘Brain Flows: How Network Dynamics Compose the Human Mind,’ an excerpt
In his new book, published today, Michael W. Cole examines how the movement of neuronal activity between neuronal populations shapes free will, intelligence and creativity. In this excerpt from Chapter 1, Cole explores why activity flows could unify efforts to map brain functions and connectivity.
‘Brain Flows: How Network Dynamics Compose the Human Mind,’ an excerpt
In his new book, published today, Michael W. Cole examines how the movement of neuronal activity between neuronal populations shapes free will, intelligence and creativity. In this excerpt from Chapter 1, Cole explores why activity flows could unify efforts to map brain functions and connectivity.
By
Michael W. Cole
3 November 2026 | 9 min read