Erika Check Hayden is an award-winning, San Francisco-based science and technology reporter. She writes for Nature, and on a freelance basis for a variety of publications, and is a lecturer in the University of California, Santa Cruz Science Communication Program.
Erika Check Hayden
Freelance writer
From this contributor
For studies, size matters: Let us count the ways
In autism research, as in other fields, small sample sizes can lead to false findings. The size of the sample needed for statistical significance depends on the type of study.
For studies, size matters: Let us count the ways
By
Erika Check Hayden
17 October 2018 | 6 min read
Preprint server bioRxiv gets boost from Facebook billionaire
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has pledged to provide financial support for bioRxiv, a website where researchers can share manuscripts before peer review.
Preprint server bioRxiv gets boost from Facebook billionaire
By
Erika Check Hayden
28 April 2017 | 5 min read
Book review: ‘Rigor Mortis’ reveals rampant sloppiness in science
In his new book, journalist Richard Harris writes that lack of reproducibility in research poses a serious threat to science.
Book review: ‘Rigor Mortis’ reveals rampant sloppiness in science
By
Erika Check Hayden
4 April 2017 | 5 min read
Rising star: Somer Bishop fine-tunes autism diagnosis
Somer Bishop is launching a revolution in autism diagnosis, creating faster, more precise tools that speed research and better capture the full spectrum of autism symptoms.
Rising star: Somer Bishop fine-tunes autism diagnosis
By
Erika Check Hayden
28 April 2016 | 8 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
Amid funding uncertainty, neuroscientists report a mix of cynicism, persistence
Two years into one of the most tumultuous tenures in U.S. federal funding, researchers outline how they are coping with ongoing changes and reflect on the impact these changes are having on the system more broadly.
Amid funding uncertainty, neuroscientists report a mix of cynicism, persistence
Two years into one of the most tumultuous tenures in U.S. federal funding, researchers outline how they are coping with ongoing changes and reflect on the impact these changes are having on the system more broadly.
By
Emily Singer
28 August 2026 | 5 min read
Reimagining Mexico’s brain bank
Since Alzheimer’s disease researcher José Luna-Muñoz assumed leadership of the facility—Latin America’s oldest—in 2011, he has been acquiring additional tissue types and is working to expand donor recruitment to rural areas.
Reimagining Mexico’s brain bank
Since Alzheimer’s disease researcher José Luna-Muñoz assumed leadership of the facility—Latin America’s oldest—in 2011, he has been acquiring additional tissue types and is working to expand donor recruitment to rural areas.
By
Alejandra Manjarrez
28 August 2026 | 7 min read
Revealing how crabs make their escape
Houdini-like Neohelice granulata offers a rare opportunity to record intracellularly from awake, behaving animals.
Revealing how crabs make their escape
Houdini-like Neohelice granulata offers a rare opportunity to record intracellularly from awake, behaving animals.
By
Natalia Mesa
28 August 2026 | 0 min watch