George Musser is an award-winning science writer and editor. He was a senior editor at Scientific American for 15 years and has written two books on fundamental physics, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to String Theory” (2008) and “Spooky Action at a Distance” (2015). He has written for Science, Nature, Quanta, Aeon, Nautilus, The New York Times and other publications. His website is georgemusser.com. He tweets at @gmusser.
George Musser
Contributing writer
From this contributor
Can an emerging field called ‘neural systems understanding’ explain the brain?
This mashup of neuroscience, artificial intelligence and even linguistics and philosophy of mind aims to crack the deep question of what "understanding" is, however un-brain-like its models may be.
Can an emerging field called ‘neural systems understanding’ explain the brain?
By
George Musser
5 June 2024 | 20 min read
How ‘social touch’ shapes autism traits
Autistic people have unusual responses to 'affective touch,' which conveys social and emotional information. Their responses may reveal how autism begins.
The predictive coding theory of autism, explained
In autism, a person's brain may not form accurate predictions of imminent experiences, or even if it does, sensory input may override those predictions.
How virtual reality is transforming autism studies
Researchers and autistic artists exploring virtual reality to study, treat and simulate autism traits.
How virtual reality is transforming autism studies
By
George Musser
24 October 2018 | 19 min read
How autism may stem from problems with prediction
A 'predictive coding' theory of autism suggests that many of the condition's hallmark traits occur when sensory input overrides expectation in the brain.
How autism may stem from problems with prediction
By
George Musser
7 March 2018 | 19 min read
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The term ‘model organism’ should be reserved for biological systems
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The term ‘model organism’ should be reserved for biological systems
By referring to artificial neural networks as model organisms, we run the risk of distorting funding priorities and disregard the explanatory power of a shared evolutionary history across biological organisms.
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New phase of BRAIN Initiative spawns basal ganglia ‘parts list’
With a standardized cell naming system and infrastructure for data collection and analysis, the basal ganglia project sets the stage for a whole-brain primate atlas.
New phase of BRAIN Initiative spawns basal ganglia ‘parts list’
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By
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Machine-learning model spots autism-linked variants that scramble splicing
The model provides a way to investigate genetic variation in regions of the genome whose functions have been difficult to interpret.
Machine-learning model spots autism-linked variants that scramble splicing
The model provides a way to investigate genetic variation in regions of the genome whose functions have been difficult to interpret.
By
Giorgia Guglielmi
12 November 2026 | 4 min read