Hannah Furfaro was a news writer at Spectrum from 2017 to 2019. Before that, Hannah was an investigative reporting fellow at Columbia University. She previously worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Fresno Bee and the Associated Press. Her work has also appeared in The Guardian and Audubon Magazine.

Hannah Furfaro
From this contributor
How aripiprazole’s promise for treating autism fell short
Aripiprazole, marketed as Abilify, is widely thought to be safer than risperidone, the only other drug approved for use in autistic children. A decade’s worth of data suggests that is not true.

How aripiprazole’s promise for treating autism fell short
Sleep problems in autism, explained
Many people with autism have difficulty falling and staying asleep, but there may be ways to help them.
Autistic girls’ brains show distinct anatomical features
Nerve fiber tracts in the brains of autistic girls appear more fragmented than those of typical girls’. Autistic boys’ brains, meanwhile, look like those of typical boys.

Autistic girls’ brains show distinct anatomical features
Beyond the bench: A conversation with Annie Ciernia
Annie Ciernia describes the greenhouse origins of her scientific career and why a unicorn makes a good lab mascot.

Beyond the bench: A conversation with Annie Ciernia
Small sponge may sop up maternal antibody tied to autism
Researchers have created a microscopic particle that traps immune molecules found in a woman that are linked to autism in her child.

Small sponge may sop up maternal antibody tied to autism
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Targeting NMDA receptor subunit reverses fragile X traits in mice
The subunit acts as a “volume control” on signaling that shapes the density of dendritic spines, the new work suggests.

Targeting NMDA receptor subunit reverses fragile X traits in mice
The subunit acts as a “volume control” on signaling that shapes the density of dendritic spines, the new work suggests.
Maternal infection’s link to autism may be a mirage
Family-linked factors explain most associations between maternal illness and autism, a study of 1.1 million Danish children finds.

Maternal infection’s link to autism may be a mirage
Family-linked factors explain most associations between maternal illness and autism, a study of 1.1 million Danish children finds.
2025 Brain Prize honors pair of cancer neuroscientists
Michelle Monje and Frank Winkler share the $1.4 million award for their discovery of synapses between brain cancer cells and neurons.

2025 Brain Prize honors pair of cancer neuroscientists
Michelle Monje and Frank Winkler share the $1.4 million award for their discovery of synapses between brain cancer cells and neurons.