Headshot of Ellie Kincaid.

Ellie Kincaid

Editor
Retraction Watch

Ellie Kincaid is an editor at Retraction Watch. Her work has appeared in STAT, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, WebMD and Medscape. She has a B.A. in English from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.A. in journalism from New York University’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program.

From this contributor

Explore more from The Transmitter

Headshots of Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel.

How Nobel Prize-winning optogenetics has revolutionized neuroscience

The technique has enabled neuroscientists to target brain circuits and cells with unprecedented specificity, transforming the study of memory, interoception, brain disorders and reward, among other domains.

Illustration of two cats jumping to opposite buildings in a city.

Is confidence a second thought—or part of the first one?

In some settings, neural circuits may calculate confidence in a decision simultaneously with the choice itself. That changes the types of questions researchers should ask.

By Ariel Zylberberg
5 October 2026 | 6 min read
Illustration of a plate with a cherry in front of a computer server.

What AI can learn from hunger

To enhance AI safety, take a lesson from biological brains; a small set of wants maintains durable control over a much larger cognitive system.

By Anthony Zador
5 October 2026 | 6 min read