Emma Yasinski is a freelance writer covering biology, neuroscience and medicine. Her stories have appeared in The Scientist, Discover Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, Kaiser Health News and other publications. Yasinski has an M.Sc. in science and medical journalism from Boston University and a B.S. in neuroscience from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.
Emma Yasinski
Contributing writer
From this contributor
Parental care may sculpt brain development in prairie voles
Voles reared primarily by their fathers show altered synapse density.
Parental care may sculpt brain development in prairie voles
By
Emma Yasinski
1 September 2023 | 3 min read
Social-pragmatic difficulties common with autism, other diagnoses
A standard questionnaire can help identify social (pragmatic) communication disorder more readily in school-age children.
Social-pragmatic difficulties common with autism, other diagnoses
By
Emma Yasinski
4 October 2022 | 4 min read
Fragile X neurons develop atypically in chimeric mice
After a brain transplant of reprogrammed human cells, the animals can for the first time recapitulate some neuronal changes seen in people with fragile X syndrome.
Fragile X neurons develop atypically in chimeric mice
By
Emma Yasinski
29 September 2022 | 4 min read
Inflexible thinking in adolescence linked to emotional, behavioral issues in adulthood
Treating cognitive inflexibility — for example, by practicing problem-solving — might help ease anxiety and depression in autistic people.
Inflexible thinking in adolescence linked to emotional, behavioral issues in adulthood
By
Emma Yasinski
22 October 2021 | 3 min read
Mutations linked to autism may be detectable in men’s sperm
An advanced DNA-sequencing technique has identified gene-damaging mutations, some with ties to autism, in about 1 in 15 men.
Mutations linked to autism may be detectable in men’s sperm
By
Emma Yasinski
16 September 2021 | 5 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
What Trump’s psychedelics executive order means for basic neuroscience
The order provides a potential path to remove some psychedelic drugs from the strictest regulatory category, yet it “may not be the breakthrough the basic research community has been looking for,” says neuroscientist Shawn Lockery.
What Trump’s psychedelics executive order means for basic neuroscience
The order provides a potential path to remove some psychedelic drugs from the strictest regulatory category, yet it “may not be the breakthrough the basic research community has been looking for,” says neuroscientist Shawn Lockery.
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Calli McMurray
24 April 2026 | 4 min read
Switching neural code may solve ongoing face-recognition debate
Face patch cells in macaque monkeys initially respond to images of any object but rapidly transition to attend to faces exclusively, a new study finds.
Switching neural code may solve ongoing face-recognition debate
Face patch cells in macaque monkeys initially respond to images of any object but rapidly transition to attend to faces exclusively, a new study finds.
By
Holly Barker
23 April 2026 | 5 min read
Liset de la Prida explains how neuron subtypes may control the activity of large neural populations, from manifolds to ripples
De la Prida's work analyzing the varieties of sharp wave ripples in the hippocampus led to her discovery that specific types of neurons control the properties of neural manifolds.
Liset de la Prida explains how neuron subtypes may control the activity of large neural populations, from manifolds to ripples
De la Prida's work analyzing the varieties of sharp wave ripples in the hippocampus led to her discovery that specific types of neurons control the properties of neural manifolds.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
22 April 2026 | 104 min listen