Emily Anthes is a freelance science journalist and author based in Brooklyn, New York. She writes news stories for The Transmitter. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, Wired, Nature and elsewhere. Her book, “Frankenstein’s Cat: Cuddling Up to Biotech’s Brave New Beasts,” was published in March 2013. She has a master’s degree in science writing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in the history of science and medicine from Yale.
Emily Anthes
Contributing Writer
Spectrum
From this contributor
Extra proteins alter microglia and behavior in mice
The overproduction of proteins in brain cells called microglia causes social impairments, cognitive deficits and repetitive behavior in male mice, a new study has found.
Extra proteins alter microglia and behavior in mice
By
Emily Anthes
29 May 2020 | 4 min read
Popular autism screening tool is unreliable, study suggests
A short, widely used screening survey for autism called the AQ-10 may not be reliable for measuring traits of the condition in the general population.
Popular autism screening tool is unreliable, study suggests
By
Emily Anthes
2 April 2020 | 3 min read
Little-known gene tied to autism, developmental delay
Rare mutations in a gene called BAZ2B are associated with various conditions of brain development, including autism.
Little-known gene tied to autism, developmental delay
By
Emily Anthes
28 February 2020 | 4 min read
Sponsors of clinical trials may report data late or never
Many clinical trials, including those related to autism, do not report their results within a year of their completion.
Sponsors of clinical trials may report data late or never
By
Emily Anthes
10 February 2020 | 5 min read
Autism-linked gene variants increase odds of attention deficit
A collection of rare genetic variants associated with autism and schizophrenia also seem to increase a person's odds of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Autism-linked gene variants increase odds of attention deficit
By
Emily Anthes
18 November 2019 | 4 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Autism-linked genes alter sleep behavior, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 April.
Autism-linked genes alter sleep behavior, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 April.
By
Jill Adams
14 April 2026 | 2 min read
This paper changed my life: Erin Calipari ponders the nuances of rewarding and aversive stimuli
A 1960s study by Kelleher and Morse found that lever pressing in squirrel monkeys depended not on whether they received a reward or shock, but on the rules of the task. This taught Calipari to think deeply about factors that influence how behavior is generated and maintained.
This paper changed my life: Erin Calipari ponders the nuances of rewarding and aversive stimuli
A 1960s study by Kelleher and Morse found that lever pressing in squirrel monkeys depended not on whether they received a reward or shock, but on the rules of the task. This taught Calipari to think deeply about factors that influence how behavior is generated and maintained.
By
Erin Calipari
14 April 2026 | 5 min read
Why neural foundation models work, and what they might—and might not—teach us about the brain
These models can partly generalize across species, brain regions and tasks, suggesting that a set of machine-learnable rules govern neural population activity. But will we be able to understand them?
Why neural foundation models work, and what they might—and might not—teach us about the brain
These models can partly generalize across species, brain regions and tasks, suggesting that a set of machine-learnable rules govern neural population activity. But will we be able to understand them?
By
Juan Gallego
13 April 2026 | 8 min read