Elizabeth Lucas


Elizabeth Lucas, Correspondent, specializes in data analysis and reporting for the KHN enterprise team. She came from Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), where she spent four years training and supporting data journalists around the world as the NICAR Data Library director. Previously she worked as a data reporter on health and the environment for the Center for Public Integrity. She has a master’s degree from the Missouri School of Journalism.

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Research image of proliferating neural cells.

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Multiple genetic mouse models initially show delayed cortical development, but the animals’ molecular trajectories diverge within weeks after birth, a new study finds.

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Brain scans showing sex-based activation differences.

Brain’s sex differences are subtle and contradictory, large MRI study finds

Sex-based behavioral differences do not match with variations in brain activation or structure in a study of almost 1,000 people.

By Lauren Schenkman
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Research image of autism-linked gene PTEN changes in neurons.

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By Sarah Thau
7 July 2026 | 2 min read